What to Do When You're a Victim of a Data Breach

Gone are the carefree days of popping Pac-Man or Frogger into your Atari 2600 without worrying about your personal information jumping across lily pads into the hands of a hacker. Case in point: a breach of personal information associated with Sony Playstation accounts affected approximately 77 million users earlier this year. In the wake of such data compromises, taking the proper precautions can help you safe. If not … GAME OVER!

On a recent edition of his radio show, The Credit Line, Credit.com co-founder Adam Levin walked us through what to do when you’re a victim of a data breach.

Assess the size of the breach and determine if you or your child are a part of it. If the company in question isn’t releasing the information, hound them until they do. Or email us and we’ll hound them.
Change your user credentials. Google has a useful guide to constructing good passwords and security questions.
Check you financial statements for fraudulent charges. Check out our recent article, If Your Teen is an Online Gamer, Watch Your Credit Card Account, for more information.
Beware of phone or email solicitations as you may be more susceptible to scams.
If you child was involved, explain the importance of the situation. Here’s a handy guide to how to talk to your kids about identity theft.

Looking for more information? Check out these Credit.com stories about identity theft and related risks.

Be safe, kids … and join us on the radio! Listen to the past week’s Credit Line for more debt and credit advice

Tune in to The Credit Line on Los Angeles’ KFWB 980 AM Saturdays at 9 a.m. PST/Noon EST and call in at 888-539-2980 with your credit and identity questions.