Earlier this year, Equifax, a major credit reporting agency, fell victim to hackers who allegedly exposed the personal information of more than 143 million Americans. Unlike credit card theft, a compromised social security number has the potential to affect you and your credit for years to come. The importance of being proactive with protecting yourself and your finances cannot be overstated. What should you do if you’re a victim?
Alloy Silverstein introduces Identity Theft Defense, a one-time service to help safeguard your personal information. Our professionals will aid you by reporting exposure to the IRS, alerting state taxing authorities (where applicable), obtaining an IRS pin for future tax return filings, placing a freeze on your credit files, and downloading your credit reports and reviewing them for recent fraudulent activity.
Even with these preventative measures in place, here are three recommendations to remain vigilant going forward:
Unauthorized purchases, especially on underused cards, may be the first sign of criminal activity.
A credit freeze does not mean set it and forget it. Even with a freeze, be alert for suspicious activity. In some cases, unfreezing your credit may cost a nominal fee, but it’s a small price to thwart attempts of fabricated accounts being opened in your name.
The most common scam of 2016 was falsified tax return filings. By filing early, if possible, it can prevent identity thieves’ attempts of claiming a tax refund using your data.
In direct response to the unprecedented Equifax security breach, Alloy Silverstein assembled a panel of experts for a Security Symposium on November 30, 2017 to discuss how to safely move forward from business, legal, IT, banking perspectives with added insight from an FBI agent.
Empowering business owners and individuals in South Jersey and Philadelphia to feel confident through proactive accounting and advisory solutions.
