Frequently asked questions

Fraud involves stolen information, such as credit card or bank account numbers, while scams deceive victims into providing personal information through tactics such as phishing emails, fake social media accounts, and too-good-to-be-true offers. Fraudsters rely on illegal access, while scammers employ psychological manipulation.

  • Fraud typically involves unauthorized access to personal information without the victim’s knowledge or consent.
  • Scams are designed to manipulate victims into willingly providing their information.

Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person’s personal identifiable information, like their name, identifying number (driver’s license, SSN), or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes, such as fraudulently opening new lines of credit, wiping out bank accounts, and even committing crimes in another person’s name.

Reporting a scam, even if you didn’t lose money or personal information, helps law enforcement and other fraud fighting entities to stop scammers. You can report scams to BBB Scam Tracker (all published scam reports are shared with law enforcement). There may be other places you should report depending upon the type of impact you’ve experienced. Our toolkit outlines where to report for each impact area.

Locking or freezing your credit are good ways to prevent identity theft because both prevent someone from accessing your credit file or opening a new account in your name. Both options also prevent criminals from gaining access to your credit report, but there are some differences you should consider.

Everyone is entitled to request a freeze on their credit at no cost. You must request a freeze from each of the three credit bureaus individually (see below for links). A freeze may take up to five business days to go into effect and up to three business days to remove.

Credit locks are offered through each of the credit bureaus; however, not all of them are free, and may come with additional services. The benefit of a credit lock is that it can be turned on and off instantly through the bureau’s website or app.

Keep in mind that when your credit is frozen or locked, it will prevent a company from doing a credit check. This is important to consider if you plan on making a big purchase.

To freeze your credit with all three bureaus, you can call the following numbers or visit their links:

To lock your credit with all three bureaus, you can sign up through the links below:

A fraud alert is a notice on your credit report that lets lenders know that you have been a victim of fraud, including identity theft, and they should verify your identity before issuing credit. A fraud alert can be requested by contacting one of the three credit reporting bureaus (you do not need to contact all three).

You will be required to either answer security questions or submit documents verifying your identity (depending on the credit agency). Types of documentation may include:

  • A government-issued ID
  • Proof of your Social Security number (SSN), such as your Social Security card or a previous tax return
  • Proof of address, such as a utility bill
  • Military ID (if filing an active-duty alert)

You may file an initial fraud alert (which lasts one year) or an extended fraud alert (up to 7 years). If requesting an extended alert, you will have to file and show an identity theft report, which you can get at IdentityTheft.gov.

Fraud alerts are free to activate and do not harm your credit.

Glossary

2-1-1: 211 is a specially designated phone number throughout the United States and Canada that people can call to access information and referral services to health, human, and social service organizations in their communities. This is a free service to all callers.

 

Antivirus scanner: Software that scans a computer’s hard drive for viruses and other threats. Antivirus scanners can help identify and remove viruses, spyware, Trojans, ransomware, and other threats.

 

BBB Scam Tracker: (BBB.org/ScamTracker): BBB Scam Tracker is BBB’s scam prevention and reporting platform. Businesses and consumers can report scams that targeted them or read about scams that have targeted others.

We will ask you a series of questions about the type of scam you experienced, how you were initially contacted (if at all), whether you can share any phone numbers, email addresses, or websites that you encountered during the scam, where the scam took place, military status about yourself (if applicable), minimal demographic information, and whether any money or personally identifiable information were stolen.

 

Multifactor identification: Using “MFA” simply means that you’ll be required to provide an extra factor than just a password when logging in, like a passcode that is emailed or texted to you separately. This way, if your password is stolen by a thief, they will not have enough information to take control of your account.

Some codes are provided through an “MFA authenticator app,” which generates new passcodes regularly. These apps can be added to your phone, so they are easy to access.

 

Password manager: A password manager is an app or browser add-on that helps you create, store, and use unique login credentials for each individual online account. A password manager can help you create a strong password and can automatically enter it into your account login screen. You only have to remember the master password to access the app.

This tool can help you avoid re-using passwords and passphrases, which can put your accounts at risk.

 

PII (Personal Identifiable Information): Any form of information that can be used to potentially identify an individual, either directly or indirectly. Examples may include (but are not limited to) Social Security numbers, financial information, addresses, medical information, home address.

 

VPN: A virtual private network, or VPN, is an app for your phone or software plugin for your computer that encrypts your connection when accessing the internet. This will hide your data and browsing activity from someone trying to access it illegally. A VPN provides extra safety when connected to public Wi-Fi sources (airports, coffee shops, hotspots) which are not secure. Remember, even if a location utilizes a password for their Wi-Fi, you will be on the same connection as people you do not know. A VPN can keep prying eyes away.