Lock Down Your Identity

The story: Walt locks the doors

After a friend’s tax refund is stolen, Walt and Ruth go down a list of free locks: credit freezes, a Social Security account, an IRS PIN and Medicare statements.

1. Walt: A friend’s tax refund went to a thief who filed first, using the friend’s Social Security number.
2. Ruth: There are free locks for that. Let’s do them together.
3. Narrator: First, a credit freeze at all three credit bureaus. No one can open new credit in Walt’s name.
4. Narrator: Next, Walt creates a my Social Security account before a thief can, and gets an IRS Identity Protection PIN.
5. Ruth: And read every Medicare statement. Mine once listed a wheelchair I never got.
6. Narrator: A few free locks on the doors thieves use: credit, Social Security, taxes and Medicare.

What you’ll learn

1. Freeze your credit

   A credit freeze stops new credit from being opened in your name. It’s free at each of the three credit bureaus. You can lift it for a short time when you apply for a loan or a new card.

2. Claim your accounts first

   Create your own my Social Security account before a thief does it for you. Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN, so no one else can file a tax return using your number.

3. Read your Medicare statements

   Read each Medicare Summary Notice. Services or equipment you never got can be a sign of fraud. Report it to Medicare or your local Senior Medicare Patrol.

4. Lock the everyday doors

   Use a password manager and two-step login. Set a PIN with your phone carrier. Mail checks inside the post office, since stolen checks can be washed and rewritten.

Key words

credit freeze

a free lock that blocks new credit in your name

Identity Protection PIN

a code from the IRS that blocks fake tax returns

Medicare Summary Notice

your report of claims Medicare paid

Common questions

Will a freeze stop my current cards or Social Security?

No. A freeze only blocks new credit. Your cards, bank accounts and benefits keep working as usual.

What if my identity was already stolen?

It’s not your fault. IdentityTheft.gov builds a step-by-step recovery plan. The link is on the fact card.

Remember this

Lock the doors thieves use: credit, Social Security, taxes, Medicare.

Try it: Freeze your credit this week

1. Freeze your credit at all three credit bureaus this week. The fact card links to how.
2. Pick one more lock from your list and do it this month.

The whole mission; no account or app needed.

Live facts

Numbers that change over time, with when they were last checked and where they come from.

• How to freeze your credit for free

  Source: FTC.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Get an Identity Protection PIN

  Source: IRS.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Create your my Social Security account

  Source: SSA.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Report identity theft and get a recovery plan

  Source: IdentityTheft.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Report Medicare fraud, or find your Senior Medicare Patrol

  Source: Medicare.gov(opens in a new tab)