Summary
- If you filed for unemployment in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, or Ohio, your personal information may have been exposed in a data leak
- You should check your bank accounts and credit report to see if there is any usual activity
- If so, immediate steps to take include filing reports with the FTC, police, and all three credit bureaus
- When you sign up for Credit Sesame’s free credit and ID theft monitoring, we’ve got you covered if you’re ever the victim of identity theft
Those who filed for unemployment in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, and Ohio have had their personal information, including social security and bank account numbers, exposed in a data leak. These details are typically used for identity theft, so it is crucial you act quickly to protect yourself and your credit.
What is identity theft?
Identity theft is a crime where imposters take over your personal information, such as social security, driver’s license number, date of birth, or financial information in order to impersonate you to get credit, merchandise, and other services.
When you sign up for Credit Sesame’s free credit monitoring, we’ll automatically give you identity theft insurance, plus live access to talk to identity restoration specialists. In the event you are ever a victim of identity theft, we’ve got you covered.
Here’s what you should do next
First, check your bank accounts and credit report. Review them to see if there is any unusual activity or transactions you did not make.
If your identity has been stolen, here are some steps you can take to protect yourself.
- File a report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This record can help make it easier to resolve issues related to identity theft.
- File a police report. Creating a legal record of the fraud could help you lay a legal foundation to avoid any fines, expenses, and disputes.
- File a fraud alert with the three credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion, Experian). You can also freeze your credit so that it can’t be used for fraudulent activity.
Other ways to protect yourself
- Mix up your passwords. Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts. If an identity thief has captured your password from one source, they can also access your other platforms.
- Regularly check your credit score. If you notice an unexpected drop in your credit score and you have not done anything unusual, it’s possible you could be a victim of identity theft. When you sign up for Credit Sesame, we send you alerts for any changes to your credit to help you stay on top of it.
For more information on this or any of our topics, please pop over to our SesameThrive Community, and join the conversation.
For a limited time, we’re also offering 3 months of Sesame Platinum Protection—our top tier Premium membership—for half the usual price. To learn more about the benefits of Platinum (including 24/7 support and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance), visit Sesame Platinum.
