You may not know that identity theft has happened until you see your credit report, are notified when trying to apply for credit, or get called by a debt collector. For more information about identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission's website or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's website.
Identity theft happens when someone uses your personal or financial information without your permission. This information can include: Names and addresses. Credit card or Social Security numbers.
Review Your Credit Reports
Each report lists your open accounts, current balances and payment history. Take notice of unfamiliar accounts or debt balances that are higher than expected—those could be warning signs of identity theft.
Security experts say that while sharing a credit score or related grade alone is not directly harmful, it can make you vulnerable to scam artists looking for easy targets.
Unless you're posting pictures of your credit reports on social media, your credit information shouldn't be available to the public. It won't show up as a search engine result, and your loved ones can't request it, regardless of your relationship.
And that includes disclosing your credit score — good or bad. When it comes to discussing your credit history, it's better for both people in a relationship to be an open book.
The short answer is no. Legally speaking, a person or organization can check your credit only under certain circumstances. Someone either needs to have what's called “permissible purpose” or have your permission and cooperation in the process for the credit check to be considered legal.
Can Someone Open a Credit Card or Bank Account in Your Name? Yes. Scammers can use your stolen information to open credit cards, bank accounts, or even take out loans in your name — leaving you to pick up the pieces and dispute the debts. In 2023 alone, scammers opened over 381,000 fraudulent credit card accounts [*].
Identity Theft: If you think an identity thief is using your SSN to work or to collect benefits, call the Social Security Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271. If you think someone may be using your SSN to work, check your Social Security Personal Earnings and Benefit Statement.
While a security freeze can help protect you by preventing certain access to your credit reports if someone attempts to open a new credit account in your name, it can't help protect you against other forms of fraud, such as a stolen credit card number.
Remember that a credit freeze can help protect you from identity theft. You can place both a credit freeze and any type of fraud alert. Place when you're concerned about identity theft. It makes it harder for someone to open a new credit account in your name.
Check your credit report
Things to look out for include: Searches on your report made by lenders as a result of a credit application. Being linked to an address you've never lived at or don't recognise. Loans and accounts you didn't apply for.
Study your reports carefully for credit card accounts and loans that you don't remember taking out. These are a sure sign that someone has stolen your identity. You can also check your online bank and credit card accounts regularly, looking for suspicious transactions or withdrawals.
Can Someone Steal Your Identity with Your Credit Report? Your credit report contains a lot of personal information, so it's a goldmine for identity thieves. With a copy of your report in hand, a potential fraudster might be able to see: Full name.
The right to be made aware if information in a credit report is being used against you. The right to ask for your credit score. Additionally, the list of those who can view your report is limited to those with a legal/valid need (for example, a creditor, issuer, employer or landlord)
An identity thief could use your information to get credit or service in your name. How to spot it: Get your free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com. Review it for accounts you didn't open or inquiries you don't recognize. A new credit card, a personal loan, or a car loan will appear as a new account.
1. Financial Identity Theft. Financial identity theft is perhaps the most common type of identity theft. It involves an unauthorized person gaining access to and using another person's financial information.
In general, it is not bad to check your own credit score and you can do so without harming it.
Credit scores are calculated on a specific individual's credit history. If your spouse has a bad credit score, it will not affect your credit score. However, when you apply for loans together, like mortgages, lenders will look at both your scores. If one of you has a poor credit score, it counts against you both.
If you do include your score on your dating profile, just be vigilant about not putting yourself in a vulnerable situation where you could be taken advantage of by potential fraudsters – a good practice in online dating, regardless of your credit score.”