Identity Theft
Your stolen SSN and personal info are used to open credit cards, file tax returns, take out loans, or port your phone number to drain crypto accounts. The consequences can take years to unwind.
How it worksThe anatomy of the scam
Every case follows roughly the same playbook. Recognize the pattern, stop it early.
1. Data is harvested
Phishing, data breach, or physical theft of documents gives a thief enough to impersonate you.
2. Credit abuse
New accounts opened in your name — credit cards, auto loans, utilities.
3. SIM swap escalation
Thief convinces your carrier to port your number to their SIM, then intercepts 2FA codes.
4. Account takeover
Bank, email, and crypto accounts are drained once the thief controls your phone.
5. The long tail
IRS refund theft, synthetic identity fraud, and medical bills can surface for years.
Warning signsRed flags to watch for
If you're seeing two or more of these, assume it's a scam until proven otherwise.
Unfamiliar accounts on your credit report
Check annualcreditreport.com every 4 months.
Phone suddenly loses service
Classic SIM swap symptom — call your carrier immediately.
IRS says your return was already filed
Someone filed a fraudulent return to claim your refund.
Protect yourselfDo this. Not that.
✓ Do
Freeze your credit at all three bureaus — it's free and stops most new-account fraud.
✗ Don't
Don't use SMS-based 2FA for financial or email accounts if you can avoid it.
✓ Do
Enable app-based 2FA (not SMS) wherever possible, especially on your carrier account.
✗ Don't
Don't post your full date of birth publicly on social media.
RelatedIf this happened to you, also check
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