What is identity theft?

Identity theft refers to the unauthorized use of an individual's personal identifying information (PII), such as name, social security number, bank information, and other related sensitive information that can compromise a person's privacy, security, and financial assets.

How do I protect myself from identity theft?

You can protect yourself against identity theft by securing your personal information -- online and offline. Make sure to engage in best practices such as using strong passwords, protecting your devices with updated security software, monitoring your bank transactions, securing your personal documents, and minimizing the amount of information you share online. For proactive protection, McAfee® Identity Protection Service can actively monitor your sensitive information and give step-by-step guidance when you need it the most.

What should I do if I’m a victim of identity theft?

Begin by analyzing the situation and reviewing the compromised information. Then, notify the relevant authorities, such as your bank, insurance agency, a local police station, or a national cybercrime complaint center. While the relevant authorities are helping you with the case, check and secure your financial accounts, devices, and proof of identity. McAfee Total Protection Ultimate plans include identity theft insurance to cover up to $1,000,000 of qualifying losses, and hands-on restoration support to help you reclaim your identity. Identity theft insurance not available to McAfee Security for T-Mobile subscribers in the State of NY or Puerto Rico due to regulatory compliance.

What is the most common form of identity theft?

The most common form of identity theft is financial identity theft, which refers to any type of theft when someone uses another individual’s information for financial gain. Some examples are New Account Fraud, Account Takeover Fraud, Business Identity Theft, and Tax-Related Identity Theft.

How do I prove I was a victim of identity theft?

You must report identify theft to the FTC at https://www.identitytheft.gov/#/assistant or 1-877-438-4338. Prepare your personal identity documents such as ID cards or SSN to verify your name, utility bill/mortgage statement for address verification, along with bank or credit card statements to show where fraudulent transactions took place. The identify theft report proves to businesses that your identity has been stolen.

How do I access my identity protection?

You can access and manage your identity protection on protection.mcafee.com .

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Step 1: Check your Protection Score to see how safe you are online.

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Protection Score checks the health of your online protection and provides simple steps to improve your security. Knowing how safe you are is the first step toward a safer life online.

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What affects my Protection Score?

Activating McAfee protection on other devices will increase your score.

Running an antivirus scan will increase your score.

Scanning Wi-Fi for threats and activating VPN will increase your score.

Installing web protection to your preferred browser will increase your score.

Adding personal identifiable information (PII) to your identity monitoring will increase your score.

If your email is found in a data breach, your score will go down.

If your government ID or any financial info is found on the dark web, your score might drop more than an email or phone number.

When you resolve any identity breaches we find, your score will go back up.

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