Retiree Support Overseas

 Identity Theft

Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

The biggest scam that could affect our identity being here in Korea are email scams. When in the U.S. you must also be aware of unsolicited phone calls and texts, and while we do get those on our Korea phones (damn robocalls) usually it's marketing schemes. Annoying, but not as threatening as identity theft scams. Here are some tips to keep in mind to help prevent falling victim to identity theft:

• 1. We know about PII, but as a reminder, be careful and always question why any personal information is being asked for and how it will be used.
• 2. Check your credit report(s). You can get a free copy of your credit report from each credit reporting company at https://www.annualcreditreport.com.
• 3. Pay attention to billing cycles. If a bill doesn't show up on time, ask questions, contact the company.
• 4. Do not provide your social security number (again we know about PII). Your SSN is literally a “golden key” for identity theft. Consider setting up your personal My Social Security account to keep an eye on your benefits, even if you are not claiming them yet. Read more on our Social Security page.
• 5. Make online purchases through a secure website that shows “https” in the website link and has a lock in the address bar.
• 6. Secure your accounts by adding multi-factor authentication login. Yea, it's a PITA we all know, but security isn't supposed to be easy or convenient. Better safe than sorry.