If an identity thief is using your SSN for fraudulent activities, you’ll have the chance to shut it down before it’s too late. If you suspect that you have been the victim of identity theft, you should consider freezing your credit. Doing this will prevent fraudsters from opening further credit card accounts or taking out additional loans using your personal information.
This type of account lets you track and manage your current benefits, including checking if anyone has filed a claim. By keeping tabs on your Social Security benefits, you can ensure no one is getting what is yours. DC Health Link is part of the Affordable Care Act online marketplace of health insurance plans … If you find out your details were sold on the dark web, you might be wondering exactly how they ended up there. According to the AP, the weirdo selling the data set online claimed that it was stolen on Monday. They wouldn’t say whether they were involved in the theft, or if they had purchased the data set and were now trying to turn it around for a profit.
Vulnerable Financial Information
Look for an IT security or identity protection agency to carry out a dark web scan on your behalf. Remember that dark web scans are complicated, even for companies specializing in them. In some cases, cybercriminals may already have some of your information but still need your address or phone number to access your accounts. Most cyberattacks rely on multiple scams, including phishing and other forms of manipulation, to uncover the data they need. If you think you’re the victim of a data breach — for example, if there’s a string of unauthorized purchases using your credit card — you should act right away.
This link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Never use names, birthdates or other personal details that hackers can guess based on publicly available information. Recently, however, it’s become more commonly used by cybercriminals and others engaged in illegal activity who are looking to obscure their identities. The dark web is primarily used by people who want to have anonymity online. It was initially created for political activists and dissidents to communicate while living under oppressive governments.
Dark Market Onion
The technique, known as SIM Swapping, allows cybercriminals to bypass two-factor authentication and gain access to everything from a target’s Twitter account to their bitcoin wallets. It’s not enough to hide your Social Security card away and hope for the best. With the number of data breaches in the past decade there’s a good chance your number is available to hackers on the Dark Web. A stolen Social Security number is one of the leading causes of identity theft and can be a real threat to your financial health. Avoid this scam’s frustrating legal and financial consequences and learn how to better protect your personal information from Social Security number identity theft.
- My concern is the legitimacy of this email and how many other people have received this.
- Dark web monitoring can help you keep your identity safe and, in doing so, protect your finances.
- An unexpected drop in your credit score can indicate illegal activity, fraud or identity theft.
Compare travel credit cards and find your ideal travel companion. You should also reset your password for any other account where you have used the same or similar password. While you can’t remove your credentials from the dark web, knowing what information was compromised can help you take action to better protect yourself from future identity theft and fraud. We’ve put together this handy guide to help you understand the basics of the dark web, dark web monitoring, and what you should consider doing next to better protect your identity. Security experts recommend you change your passwords every time you discover that your personal information has been exposed. Never use the same passwords on multiple sites, and make sure your new passwords are complex and difficult to guess.
Dark Web Links
Mark Knowles is a freelance content marketing writer specializing in articles, e-books, and whitepapers on cybersecurity, automation, and artificial intelligence. Mark has experience creating fresh content, engaging audiences, and establishing thought leadership for many top tech companies. Only share personal information with proven and trusted sources via phone, mail, or the internet. Opt out of receiving prescreened credit offers at optoutprescreen.com. Even though the dark web has an unsavory reputation due to illicit activity, it does provide value for legal uses like promoting free speech and is legal for anyone to access.
However, that’s a small price to pay for preventing others from ruining your good credit. Dark web monitoring scans hundreds of thousands of websites for your personal information. Zander ID Theft Solutions’ surveillance technology monitors black-market sites globally, covering everything from chat rooms to social media. This process scans for your social security number, bank account information, credit and debit card numbers, passport numbers, medical ID numbers, and any other information you provide us to monitor. It could be a “phishing” email, designed to trick you into disclosing sensitive information to scammers.
Websites On The Dark Web
You’ll also need to monitor your three credit reports — one each maintained by Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — for any accounts that might have been fraudulently opened in your name. If you’re worried that your financial information has been exposed on the dark web, such a service could help alleviate or confirm these fears. We monitor thousands of sites on the Dark Web—a hidden area of the Internet where stolen Social Security numbers can be traded or sold for the purposes of identity theft and fraud. This process is also called internet scanning or internet surveillance. If we find your Social Security number, we’ll send you an alert and help you take action. It’s also a good idea to check your credit reports for suspicious activity at least once a year.
They troll through the non-surface level of the Internet to determine if your information has been compromised. If a scanner finds your personal information on the dark web, act fast. The longer you wait, the longer you expose yourself to ID fraud—or financial fraud.
