Overview:
Identity Theft is a rapidly growing crime. Your stolen identity can be used to empty your bank account, take out loans, access your social media, and obtain or change a variety of services in your name.
If you believe your University of Idaho account has been compromised, please change your password immediately. Even if U of I and your account are not related to the incident, report it to security@uidaho.edu or at this link, as soon as possible. Your report allows us to correlate this with others potentially affected, in case any UI vendors or systems may be involved.
The Federal Trade Commission
The FTC provides a checklist and guide for developing your recovery plan.
The Consumer Financial Protections Bureau
The CFPB provides information on your rights as a consumer, as well as a guide on what to do if your credit or debit card accounts are hacked.
The Internal Revenue Service
The IRS has additional recommendations for compromised Social Security Numbers, or Tax-related identity theft on their Identity Theft website.
Freezing Your Credit
You will likely want to freeze your credit following identity theft. Request a credit freeze at each of the following agencies:
Additional Consumer Assistance
In the event that you require additional assistance, the following resources are freely available.
Monitor Your Credit
You may monitor your credit for free by rotating your annual credit reports at Annual Credit Report. Each report may contain significant payment records, addresses, phone numbers, collections accounts, public records, and your account numbers. Notice when you receive negative marks (such as collections or late payments), and look for any information (such as unfamiliar addresses or loan accounts) that does not belong to you.
Defend Your Phone
Your phone is now used as a method to identify you. As such, your phone number is a ripe target for identity thieves. You may defend against SIM card swaps (an attack used to take over your phone number) by using software-based two-factor authentication (as opposed to SMS-based two-factor authentication) and placing a PIN passcode on your phone account.
For each provider that uses a default PIN, we recommend changing the PIN. To setup or change a PIN, each wireless carrier has their own instructions:
Defend Your Online Accounts
For each of your accounts that support it, we recommend using a two-factor authentication service (such as Duo MFA). You can find additional instructions on improving your login security at LockDownYourLogin.
Monitor Your Online Accounts
You may monitor your accounts for password leaks by checking with HaveIBeenPwned, a service that tracks major password leaks.
Identity Theft Protection Services
A number of services provide identity theft protection and insurance. Your insurance provider may have identity theft insurance that may be bundled with existing insurance plans.