JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Identity theft is becoming the most common theft in the country with almost half of Americans affected, according to Debt.com.
Americans are buying and paying more bills online than ever before, which is helping scammers who are looking to steal your identity.
“I think more and more people become comfortable with putting in their information, saving it on different websites,” said Debt.com President Don Silvestri. “Transactionally, they’re putting credit cards and saving their credit card on a file. And there’s a lot of breaches that are out there through organizations that people seemingly trust.”
More than 2,100 U.S. organizations filed data breach notices in 2023 -- and for the first time, Debt.com reports almost half of Americans have been victims of identity theft.
That can affect your credit score and could even send you into debt.
“Adding more debt when you have identity theft on top of it makes your ability to buy a car, buy a house, even insurance rates can go up if you’re affected in this way,” Silvestri said.
Samira Hamo told News4JAX that her son, who has a disability, was a victim recently, after sharing his information with someone who came to the front door of their Jacksonville home posing as a government official.
“We applied for my son several times for disability benefits, he was not able to get those benefits because they found out someone in another state is using his Social Security (number),” Hamo said. “This led his monthly salary to be delayed for two months.”
Scammers can steal your identity in several ways, including in person, like Hamo’s son, online, through social media, and by phone.
“We definitely learned a lesson and we stopped saving personal information on our cellphones and won’t give it out to just anyone,” Hamo said.
Phishing scams are the most common way people are tricked into sharing personal information.
“It’s not to be fearful, but sometimes you can be proactive and protect yourself by having some sort of tool that is identifying any issues, but you should absolutely be careful with where you put your information,” Silvestri said. “Don’t save credit cards on a file, even though they say it’s convenient, don’t do it. It’s just safer that way.”
If you’re a victim of identity theft or fraud there are a few things you should do immediately:
- Place a fraud alert on your credit report
- Close out accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently
- Report the identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission
- File a report with your local police department