How to Protect Yourself From Identity
A thief can open credit cards in your name. A thief can empty your savings account, too. Most people don't find out for months. In some cases, people don't find out for 2 years. Someone could take out a loan in your name tonight. Is a stranger borrowing money as you right now? There are 6 free moves that keep your name yours.
In nearly 58 percent of cases, nobody notices at first. That gives the thief a 4-month head start.
The write-up put out a guide on September 23, 2026. A lot of this fraud starts right at your mailbox. A thief can use your old bills to steal your name.
Score Nerds says you've got 30 days. You'd think your bank statement would warn you.
The thief does the damage in just weeks. Your bank app might not show anything unusual. The thief is counting on you not noticing.
Ray Anholt's story is a different kind of scam. People pretending to be his bank called him on the phone. They talked him into taking his savings out of the bank. Nobody opened any accounts in his name.
Ray was 89, and he lived in Victoria, Canada. He got the first call in June 2024. The caller told him his money wasn't safe.
CBC News reported what the callers told him to do next. They told him his money would be safer at RBC.
For 6 months, Ray emptied his own accounts. Ray turned it all into cash and gold bars. Couriers showed up, and Ray handed it all over.
Ray lost almost $1.7 million of his savings. And neither RBC nor CIBC stopped him withdrawing it.
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You can lose your name really fast. If you catch it late, you'll need a police report to fix it.
If you catch it early, it can take up to 2 months to fix. Most of that time is just paperwork. If you catch it late, it can take 6 months. Every hour you wait gives the thief more time.
If you catch it late, your credit score takes a hit. On average, your score drops more than 100 points. And you get missed-payment marks on your credit report.
A bank you've never used approves a loan. And that debt is in your name.
When your account gets emptied, it isn't some bank's problem. That's your rent and grocery money.
The post office lets you forward your mail to a new address. But a thief can fill out that same form. Then your bank statement goes to a mailbox that isn't yours.
You probably think no news means you're safe. The thief is counting on you thinking that. Meanwhile, your bank statement is sitting in his mailbox. Hearing nothing from your bank doesn't prove anything.
Freeze your credit at all 3 credit bureaus. It's free, and it stops strangers opening new accounts.
Turn on text alerts from your bank. Check that nobody is forwarding your mail somewhere else. Never move your money just because someone calls you.
You only get a bank alert after your money has already moved. With your credit frozen, nobody can open an account at all.
Say a thief applies for a credit card as you. The new bank checks your credit report. But the bank can't see your report if you've frozen it. So the thief walks away with nothing.
The CaraComp write-up covers all 6 moves. It also tells you who to call first.
Credit Info Center warns that some people find out way too late. Some people only find out when they apply for a mortgage. Others get a debt collector calling about accounts they don't know.
Pull your free credit report this week. Shred your old bank statements and the loan offers you get. Ask your parents if they've had any strange calls.
All 6 of these moves cost you nothing at all. You don't need a subscription or an app for any of them. Boring habits are what beat this thief.
A thief might already have your details. But with your credit frozen, he can't use them.
Tonight, write down your bank's real phone number. If something looks wrong, call that number first. Then call the credit bureaus and the police.
Someone could be sending your mail somewhere else right now. Freeze your credit tonight, before someone uses your name.
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