Our Information is Already Out There: Now What?

If we really want to keep ourselves - and our money - safe from fraud, we must all come to terms with one thing: our personal information is likely already out there.

In a time where data breaches are increasingly common, safeguarding yourself from fraud has become more important than ever. Here are three steps to help protect yourself from the risks associated with data breaches and other identity fraud risks:

1) Place a security freeze on your credit accounts with the three big agencies (Experian, Equifax and Transunion) so no one can open a new credit line in your name.

2) Establish online access to your financial accounts and monitor them regularly (you can set up text alerts for activity on these accounts as well).

3) Use strong and unique passwords for every online account; consider using a password manager that creates complex passwords and stores them securely.

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Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.