Cybercriminals can use your personal information to take out loans in your name, claim your tax returns, or open new credit cards. Since they obfuscate their activities using your name, this digital footprint would be tracked to you. One of the greatest risks of a leaked SSN is that scammers can use it to take out loans or open financial accounts in your name. A credit freeze prevents anyone from accessing your credit file — which means that scammers won’t be able to ruin your credit score.
Did you get a recent notification that your personal information has been stolen? Even if you didn’t, your Social Security number, address, and other personal information may have been exposed in a massive—and confusing— security breach. Due to its hidden nature, the dark web creates challenges for law enforcement agencies to monitor and apprehend cybercriminals. Efforts are being made to combat illegal activities on the dark web, but it remains an ongoing battle. Unlike the surface web, where websites are easily discoverable, the dark web operates as an encrypted network, masking the true identity and location of its users.
How Many People Have Been Impacted?
With the right approach and resources, you can overcome this challenge and emerge with stronger, more secure personal information management practices. Stay vigilant, stay informed, and take control of your digital identity. While the steps outlined in this guide can seem overwhelming, tackling them one at a time will help you regain control over your personal information and financial security. Don’t hesitate to seek professional help if you feel overwhelmed or encounter complex issues. However, it’s important to note that while they can be helpful, they don’t guarantee complete protection.
Top Cybersecurity Tools For Small And Medium Businesses (SMBs)
National Public Data, a company that conducts background checks, suffered a data breach involving SSNs, email addresses, phone numbers and home addresses. The privacy affairs dark web price index says a social security number can go for $2 to $4. Collins said, “I think they’d be rather shocked that it’s very inexpensive these days.” Change your passwords regularly—security experts suggest every three months—and don’t use the same password for multiple accounts. Using a unique password for each account will protect other accounts if a password is stolen. If you’re getting medical bills for procedures you never underwent, get on the phone with the healthcare provider or your insurer immediately.
You can quickly change all your passwords by using a password manager, such as Keeper, which can generate new, strong passwords for each of your accounts. An Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) is a six-digit number that stops someone from filing a tax return with your SSN. The only people who know your IP PIN are you and the IRS, which even prevents a cybercriminal who has your SSN from using it to commit tax fraud. After applying for an IP PIN and completing the verification process, you will receive an IP PIN. Every year, you will receive a new IP PIN to ensure the utmost protection of your SSN and taxes.
Notify Your Financial Institutions
However, your SSN can also be compromised by malware lurking on your computer, fake forms on unsafe websites, through mail theft, or if you lose your wallet and it falls into the wrong hands. Even if the person who stole your SSN and listed it on the dark web hasn’t already used it to steal your identity, anyone who buys or discovers it can. Someone with your SSN may access other sensitive information or commit various forms of fraud that affect your finances, Social Security, healthcare, or legal situation.
Monitor Your Accounts Closely
Thoroughly review these reports for any unrecognized accounts or inquiries. Federal law now allows permanent access to free weekly credit reports from all three agencies via AnnualCreditReport.com. Next, you should lock your SSN by either contacting the Social Security Administration (SSA) or self-locking it using your E-Verify account.
How To Know If Your SSN Has Been Leaked On The Dark Web
These dangers highlight the importance of actively monitoring and protecting your personal information. By staying vigilant, implementing strong security measures, and taking prompt action if your SSN is compromised, you can minimize the risks and safeguard your financial well-being and personal reputation. In its statement, NPD also urged people to put free fraud alerts on their accounts, which “tells creditors to contact you before they open any new accounts or change your existing accounts,” it said. You’ll have to contact just one of the three credit bureaus to create a fraud alert, and that agency will alert the others. The more information that identity thieves have on you, the easier it is for them to impersonate you to your bank, credit card company and mortgage lender. Using long, unique passwords and two-factor authentication for each account will make it that much harder for them to pose as you.
Sign Up For Identity Theft Protection
Upon discovering your SSN has been compromised, placing a fraud alert on your credit reports is a first step. You only need to contact one of the three major credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion—which then notifies the other two. An initial fraud alert lasts for one year and requires businesses to verify your identity before extending new credit, often requiring direct contact to confirm your application. When you freeze your credit, creditors cannot access your credit report. That means that no one—including you—will be able to open any new accounts in your name during the freeze.
- You may be concerned if your Social Security number (SSN) was found on the dark web following the recent breach that, according to CNBC, exposed almost three billion SSNs.
- A credit monitoring service notices any changes in your credit report and alerts you if there is suspicious activity that could indicate fraud.
- You also have the right to add a security freeze to your credit reports from Experian, TransUnion and Equifax.
- Banks and agencies—including the IRS—increasingly require you to use MFA to sign in to your accounts.
If your SSN was leaked, the site will present you with a chart showing your address in the record and the last two numbers of your SSN. ZDNET’s recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. Understanding the impact of SSN exposure underscores the importance of protecting this crucial piece of personal information.
Be sure to submit requests to each of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. “You have varying levels of companies’ ability to protect the data that they’re collecting, and they may not fall under any regulation to do so because it’s like public data to begin with,” Steinhauer said. Many members of the UC Berkeley community have recently received alerts from Experian that their Social Security numbers were found on the dark web, a part of the web that does not show up in online searches.
Change Your Passwords Regularly
This means that anyone who knows where to look could potentially find it and use it to take over your financial life. If someone has your SSN, they can use it to open new credit lines or apply for loans in your name. This can ruin your credit score and leave you with thousands of dollars in debt. While the dark web may seem like an inaccessible place, personal data can end up there quite easily. Protecting yourself from these threats is essential to keeping your information safe.
