This is almost impossible to avoid because the victim doesn’t “fall” for any scam. It’s done remotely without any action on your part. As a result of years of hacker break-ins to big companies, almost everyone’s ID info is out there to be bought on the dark web. All you can do to protect yourself is freeze your credit at all three agencies and keep it frozen until you need to open credit yourself. Then, only open it for a couple of days.
The three agencies to freeze your accounts are:
- Equifax 1-800-525-6285
- Experian 1-888-397-3792
- Trans Union 1-800-680-7289