Stolen Identity- What to Do
If your identity was stolen, how would you know? And what would you do about it?
These are important questions in today’s tech-savvy world. Forms of communication and information exchange are growing and evolving faster than most people can keep up with them. This means many people are sharing private and personal information without even realizing it, or they are sending it o sources they may not be aware of.
Cyber criminals and identity thieves use the ignorance of the masses to scam them out of money. Mike Majeed Toronto fraud specialist sees this happen all the time.
Keeping Track of Your Identity
So how would you know if someone was using your name or your credit card or banking information to make purchases? It’s a question too many people do not know the answer to. The answer, though, is actually quite simple- keep tabs on your financial accounts.
If your bank has an online site or you use a PayPal account, check those accounts regularly. Accounts with online access should be monitored every week. Look for missing funds, expenditures you did not make, or anything out of the ordinary.
If you see an email alert from your account saying that funds are being transferred and you did not request that transfer, contact your financial institution immediately. Also make sure that all emails from your account holders are going directly into you main email inbox and not to a spam folder or to an email you do not check regularly.
The sooner you catch a breach of your account the sooner the criminal can be caught and your account can return to your control. Catching illegal transfers and expenditures quickly can also make it easier for your bank to cancel the transaction.
What to do When You Notice Account Fraud
When you see a red flag, some expenditure or use your name or account out of the ordinary, then you should contact your financial institution immediately. If they verify that account fraud has taken place, you may be asked to contact the authorities. You should also get ahold of a fraud specialist like Mike Majeed Toronto fraud investigator whose years of experience has given him unrivaled expertise in the field.
If it is a credit card the has been compromised, you should ask your card company to freeze your account, so that no transactions may be made. If the security breach has come from a financial institution with online access for your accounts, then you should log into your account and change the passwords. It is possible it is your account passwords that have been compromised.
Credit fraud does not have to be an expensive experience to endure. If it is caught quickly and handled expertly, your life can go back to normal very soon.
When credit fraud happens though, you should consider how the breach occurred. It is possible you gave someone information that was private, and you should take steps to protect yourself in the future. Never give your password or account information to someone over the phone unless you are absolutely sure of who they are.
Remember anyone can claim to be your bank or financial institution. Check the number that has called you to make sure it corresponds to your actual bank. And if fraud has happened to you, contact Mike Majeed Toronto fraud investigator.
