Millions of Americans were affected by last month’s Equifax security breach, leaving many of us wondering how to protect ourselves from identity theft and keep our accounts safe from fraudulent activity. This recent Forbes article shares helpful strategies on how to keep your personal and financial information secure.  

According to the article, protecting yourself from fraudsters comes down to three tactics:

1. Prevention: make it difficult for others to open a new account by freezing your credit or refraining from opening any new line of credits.
2. Early detection: find out as soon as possible if a fraudster is trying to open a new account in your name and consider requesting free credit monitoring from a trust-worthy site or your credit card company. 
3. Resolution: if you have been a victim of identity theft, it can take a lot of work to get the issue resolved. Have a plan to dispute and close unauthorized accounts.

If your information has been exposed then be sure to act fast! And even though there is no surefire way to keep your financial or personal information secure, it is imperative that you make it as difficult as possible for fraudsters to gain access to your accounts and private data.  

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Gift Planning

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Duke University’s Office of Gift Planning specializes in charitable gift planning for estates, charitable trusts and annuities, and other complex current and future gift plans.

For more information, please contact the Duke University Office of Gift Planning.