Information Security and Identity Theft Citi

Thank you for the A2A. There are a multitude of ways that your SSN and PW could have been compromised - this happens frequently. SSN’s, DOBs, PW, PINS, etc, are sold for just a few dollars. The information is sometimes obtained from internal sources, and sometimes from other sources. Often people provide their SSN when they feel that it is “required” and then in a different place they provide their PIN because they think it is required, and the information is then combined and used for identity theft. Other times people unknowingly reveal the information, having no idea that it has been compromised. Those are just a couple of examples. Every one should be aware that the only way to protect their identity is to protect it themselves, and to look at their accounts on a daily basis. One easy way to do this is using a service such as Envestnet | Yodlee Financial Data I use the free service there and it has worked well for me for many years. You can use it to monitor all of your financial accounts, and notify you when certain things take place. You set up the criteria for the notifications. For example, I have mine set up notify me if more than one dollar is spent out of any account (bank/credit card/etc). There are services that you can pay for, but I have found the yodlee (free) one is far better than the ones that have to be paid for.But that is going forward - right now you need to deal with what just happened and recover from that. I assume that you have reported it already. Be sure to also report it at Identity Theft Recovery Steps immediately, and follow the instructions they provide you. You asked if there were red flags raised. Maybe yes, maybe no. The way I look at things, the prevalence of identity theft nowadays is in essence, a red flag for me, and for everyone, warning us to take appropriate measures to protect our own information. For more information, message me - but please do not send me any of your personal information.

Making a custom location on Instagram is actually quite easy and gives you an advantage to other businesses because it allows you to drive traffic via location.First off, Facebook owns Instagram; therefore, any location listed on Facebook also appears on Instagram. So you are going to need to create a business location on Facebook.So let’s dive into how to create a business location on Instagram.Make sure that you have enabled location services through the Facebook App or in your phone settings. If you are using an iPhone, select “Settings” → “Account Settings” → “Location” → “While Using The App”You need to create a Facebook check-in status. You do this by making a status and type the name of what you want your location to be called. For example “Growth Hustlers HQ”. Scroll to the bottom of the options and select “Add Custom Location” then tap on it!Now that you’ve created a custom location you need to describe it. It will ask you to choose which category describes your location, which you will answer “Business”.After choosing a category Facebook will ask you to choose a location. You can either choose “I’m currently here” or you can search for a location that you want to create for your business.Finally, publish your status. Congratulations! You have just created a custom location to be used on Facebook and Instagram.Now you are able to tag your business or a custom location on Instagram.If you have any questions about Social Media Marketing for businesses feel free to check out GrowthHustlers.com where you can find tons of resources about growing your Instagram following.

You can’t.If someone is planning on using your identity for theft, there is nothing that you can do to prevent it.You can, however, mitigate it by taking several steps:File a police report - In the report, detail all of the items which were taken, no matter how insignNow that you think that they are.Contact all of your credit issuers and your bank and have your cards cancelled - The sooner that you do this, the better. Credit card companies legally can only hold you responsible for the first $50 in charges (almost all of them waive the charges) and your bank has to replace any fraudulent withdrawals made from your account as long as you report the theft within 60 days.Place a fraud alert on your credit reports - This will be a huge pain in the ass for as long as you have it on them; but it will prevent people from easily receiving credit using your identity.Contact the local library if you have a card and tell them that you have lost your card - Many people forget this and it’s a bad idea to do so because A) A crook can check numerous new and expensive books and videos on your account and sell them. B) The crook can have the library give them a copy of the form that you completed to obtain your card. That document has personal information on it which may not have been in your wallet.Check your driving record with your state licensing agency - The crook may attempt to pass himself off as you during traffic stops and that could lead to your being fined or arrested for outstanding traffic violations. Also, you might wish to check to see if any titles were issued to you for any vehicles that you may own or not own as crooks can use your ID to get a new title for your vehicle and either get a loan against it or steal it later and then sell it.Contact your medical insurer - A crook can use your medical insurance card to charge healthcare and dental work and to obtain prescription medicines (especially painkillers) to sell.Check your cell provider and see if additional phones or mobile devices have been issued in your name - A crook could obtain numerous new phones on your account and then sell them at a profit. Or use them until they are caught.Check your state’s corporation bureau/Secretary of State - A crook (or whoever he sells your identity papers to) could start a business using your information. This could put you tens of thousands of dollars in debt (or more) and result in numerous agencies looking for you (actually, the crook pretending to be you) for a wide variety charges.Keep a copy of your police report with you at all times - While the police have grown used to ID fraud, some may still detain or arrest you if you are pulled over. Having a copy of the report will make things far less difficult if you are stopped or detained.Expect the unexpected - There many ways that your ID can be misused by a skilled ID thief. From buying aircraft and boats on your credit, to purchasing firearms, to obtaining Internet service in your name and then using it for fraud or for downloading child pornography, if your identity is indeed compromised, you should ready for whatever might happen.Good Luck.

It's extremely dangerous for anyone to know your name and address as nothing would prevent such a person from knocking on your door and then saying your name, combined with some form of greeting, when you opened the door.  Even if you wisely choose never to open your door, such a person could say your name while you were on the other side of that door, in a foyer perhaps, which you would be forced to hear.  This person could just say your name outloud anywhere, in a bar or a Starbucks, and act like he or she knew you, and if anyone says otherwise, respond, "well then how do I know his home address?"

Turn this around for another way of looking at it.“How can a landlord rent a room/apartment without going through a background check to determine that the applicant can afford the rental, and has no history of cheating on rent or damage to another landlord’s rental property?”There tend to be more deadbeat tenants than skeezy landlords, IMO.A tenant can help this by obtaining their own credit report and removing account numbers and/or Social Security ID #s - . At that point, landlord is only looking for info on criminal records, landlord referrals - past addresses need to be provided, but that shouldn’t create an identity theft issue.

Social Security may or may not agree to change your Social Security number. However, whether they change it or not, they absolutely never charge you a fee.If someone other than Social Security offers to change your number or do anything to help you do this for a fee, this is a scam. Do not fall for this! Do not pay them a dime no matter how persuasive they may be. They call them “con men” because they are good a gaining you confidence.

Perhaps I am missing something, but when you were adopted, your birthname was no longer your name legally; your legal last name is the last name of your adoptive parents. Your social security records are also changed to reflect the name change (same as is done when people get married). Therefore, there would be no identity theft of your birthname. You need to do what anyone else does to protect identity theft of your LEGAL name.