Has your email been hacked? Could scammers know your address, date of birth, credit card info or passwords?

It has been happening to me for years and I had no idea, until I did some digging.

Two websites show not only had my personal information been exposed nearly two dozen times, but also where it happened, what was exposed and if scammers are using it to steal my identity right now.

It’s important information, especially for Californians.

Federal Trade Commission statistics show residents lost $1.3 billion to fraud in 2023, more than any other state and twice the next highest state, Texas.

And identity theft was the number one scam reported in the state last year.

It’s also one of the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker’s biggest complaint areas. Get more information at: https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker.

Haveibeenpwned.com is a free, trusted website that shows if your email addresses or passwords may have been exposed to the public and you may be at greater risk for ID theft.

While the site showed my passwords were not compromised, my personal email address had been exposed 23 times going back to 2012.

In one breach, my credit status, date of birth, financial investments and physical address were likely exposed.

If your email has been part of a breach, change passwords and replace them with those using upper and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.

Also, make sure your operating system and antivirus protection are up to date.

Annualcreditreport.com is another site for ID theft concerns.

It allows you to access TransUnion, Equifax and Experian credit reports weekly for free.

Check reports for accounts you didn’t open, unauthorized hard inquiries, debt balances higher than expected and errors in your personal profile details.

They could be early signs someone has access to your personal information and is using it.

If you see a problem, report or dispute it on the site and freeze your credit so your reports can’t be accessed by others unless you allow it.

Annualcreditreport.com has a lot of sound-a-like websites, but is the only federally authorized site to provide this free service with no strings attached.

Here’s the BBB’s advice on protecting your identity:

https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/16951-bbb-tip-identity-theft

Check reviews before hiring and find reputable BBB Accredited businesses at bbb.org.

https://www.bbb.org/ is where you can also report scams to the BBB Scam Tracker.

And check out all JOEKNOWSBETTER podcasts and videos at https://www.bbb.org/local/1126/joe-knows-better.

Crédito de la foto: Pixabay.com