How To Protect Your Identity:
An Abuse Partner Will Use
Any Means To
Control You!
"Upon this rock I will build My church; and the GATES OF HELL
shall not prevail against it!"(Matthew 16:18)
shall not prevail against it!"(Matthew 16:18)
One way that abusers exert power and control is by stealing a survivor’s identity. An abuser may open a credit card in a survivor’s name with the goal of ruining the survivor’s credit, or may fraudulently use a survivor’s social security number to stalk or harass them. There are multiple steps you can take to protect your identity, which are especially important to do before or as soon as you leave an abusive partner.
First, open a P.O. box in your name. This can prevent an abuser from locating and stealing your mail, and gaining personal information. Open a new bank account and credit card in your name that your abusive partner cannot access.
First, open a P.O. box in your name. This can prevent an abuser from locating and stealing your mail, and gaining personal information. Open a new bank account and credit card in your name that your abusive partner cannot access.
Shred your mail before throwing it out, especially credit card offers and anything that has your social security number or bank account information on it. You can also call 1-800-5OPT-OUT to stop receiving credit card offers in the mail.
Make sure to check your credit report at least
once a year for fraudulent activity.
Access a free credit report at annualcreditreport.com.
You can set up a fraud alert on your credit report by contacting the credit bureaus directly. If you suspect fraudulent activity on any accounts, close the account immediately and file a report with the police or call the
Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-ID-THEFT.
Make sure to check your credit report at least
once a year for fraudulent activity.
Access a free credit report at annualcreditreport.com.
You can set up a fraud alert on your credit report by contacting the credit bureaus directly. If you suspect fraudulent activity on any accounts, close the account immediately and file a report with the police or call the
Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-ID-THEFT.
Be very selective about any personal information you give out.
Never give out your social security number or any account numbers
over the phone unless it is a call you initiated.
Online, the best way to protect your information is simply to not share it.
That means staying off social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.
Even if you think your account is hidden or protected, there are still ways for people to find you.
If you do keep an online presence, avoid publishing personal information like your home address,
place of work or daily whereabouts. It’s easy for someone to stalk you if you “check in” online
at a restaurant or publish that you’re heading to a particular person’s house.
Revealing you’re going on vacation lets people know your home is unoccupied, which can also be dangerous.
A good test to see how searchable you are is to enter your full name in Google.
If you find personal information about yourself on a website, contact the site’s administrator and ask that they remove it.
Remember: Nothing is truly private on the Internet.
Never give out your social security number or any account numbers
over the phone unless it is a call you initiated.
Online, the best way to protect your information is simply to not share it.
That means staying off social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.
Even if you think your account is hidden or protected, there are still ways for people to find you.
If you do keep an online presence, avoid publishing personal information like your home address,
place of work or daily whereabouts. It’s easy for someone to stalk you if you “check in” online
at a restaurant or publish that you’re heading to a particular person’s house.
Revealing you’re going on vacation lets people know your home is unoccupied, which can also be dangerous.
A good test to see how searchable you are is to enter your full name in Google.
If you find personal information about yourself on a website, contact the site’s administrator and ask that they remove it.
Remember: Nothing is truly private on the Internet.
Contact your three(3) Credit Bureaus. You are entitled to a free credit report EVERY year.
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If you are in danger, call 911 or reach the The National Domestic Violence Hotline at
1−800−799−SAFE(7233) or TTY 1−800−787−3224.
1−800−799−SAFE(7233) or TTY 1−800−787−3224.
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