July 5, 2023

 

 

Lynn Leegard, Owner and President of TrustFunds, is extremely passionate about avoiding identity theft. She said, “I personally experienced someone’s attempt to steal my identity and open an account in my name.  Fortunately, I had taken steps to protect myself and the bad actors were not successful.  As a result, I care deeply about educating EVERYBODY beyond the TrustFunds transaction”. Identity theft is when someone uses your financial and personal information without your permission, ultimately damaging your credit status and putting yourself in legal jeopardy. According to Javelin’s Internet Fraud Study, losses from identity fraud totaled $43 billion in 2022, affecting 40 million U.S. adults.

 

You can protect yourself by activating a “freeze” or “lock” option with the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion).  A credit freeze, or security freeze, is a FREE option that lets you limit unauthorized access to your credit report, preventing others from opening accounts in your name. You’ll need to “thaw” or lift the freeze each time you apply for credit; however, many people feel the benefits outweigh the small inconvenience. There are also paid credit “lock” subscriptions available including a number of identity theft protection tools. Overall, both credit freezes and credit locks can be effective tools for protecting your identity and the choice between the two depends on your personal preferences and needs.

 

Use our handy Protect Yourself from Identity Theft flyer to share with colleagues, clients, friends, and family.