Warning Signs That Your Identity Has Been Stolen

American Investment Planners LLC

500 North Broadway, Suite 260, Jericho, NY 11753

(516) 932-5130 / (866) 932-5130

Would you be able to tell if your identity has been compromised? Considering just how damaging an identity theft attack can be to your current personal and financial situations, being able to recognize if your identity has been stolen is key.

To help you out with this, below we're sharing some of the most common warning signs that suggest someone has taken off with your identity:

1. Your bank account is/was compromised. If you notice a withdrawal that you know you didn't make, or if there are remarks on your bank statement that you can't explain, someone is likely using your account. Since you'll want to report unusual findings on bank statements immediately, it's important that you check in on actions taken (checks cashed, withdrawals, payments made, etc) regularly.
2. Your credit report has errors on it. When we say errors here, we are referring to remarks that you know don't apply to you - for example, a credit check or an added account that you know you did not authorize. The good news here is that you can request a copy of your credit report once per year or use websites like Credit Karma to keep an eye on things.
3. Suspicious charges are applied to your credit card. Suspicious transactions on your credit card are an obvious sign that someone has specifically stolen your credit card information. If this happens on one of your credit cards, check your other credit card's activity to see if your information was taken for all of your current accounts. Should you notice transactions being posted that you did not make, contact your credit card company immediately to dispute the charge.
4. You're being held responsible for unusual debts. Receiving phone calls or notices from debt collectors about debts that are not yours are also surefire signs that someone has used your personal information to make purchases, take out a loan or perform a similar act.
5. You aren't receiving your mail. Unless you have signed up to go paperless or are in another program where you won't receive paper bills, statements and notices, you should be receiving documents like these in the mail for any applicable accounts - credit cards, bank accounts, etc. If you suddenly stop receiving these out of the blue, chances are someone has messed with your information. 

Should you ever experience any of the above, the most important thing to do is to notify the appropriate person/institution right away - for example, if it's your credit card that has suspicious transactions, get in touch with the company immediately to let them know of your concern. Communication in situations like this is critical, and you always want to be sure that you reach out to someone about your concerns sooner rather than later.

For more information about identity theft, be sure to check out our other blog posts and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. More information is also available by contacting our advisors at (516) 932-5130 or via email at info@americaninvestmentplanners.com.