Having your identity stolen is truly a horrific experience. It sounds almost a bit sci fi on paper, but actually this is a reality for so many people across the world every single day. If this has happened to you, chances are your first thoughts are sheer panic, stress and anxiety.

It might then be followed by a lot of guilt and self blame, wondering how you’ve ‘let’ something like this happen. The first step is to take a breath, everything can be sorted more easily when you’re that bit calmer. It’s easy to jump into worst case scenarios of money being taken and things being taken out in your name and so much more. But if you go about things the right way you can put a stop to it. 

Immediate action

First thing, change all of your passwords. When something has been compromised this is best step you can take, even things you don’t think are related. Secure everything with long and complex passwords and then add two factor authentication, this should help anything else from becoming involved and will also put you in a more secure position going forward. If there’s any chance your financial details are involved then contact your bank, this is something they deal with constantly and will know what to do.

They can keep an eye out for any dodgy looking transitions and check if anything has been attempted to be taken already. They might need to cancel your card and send out a new one if the details have been compromised. Putting it off because you feel embarrassed or overwhelmed can really add to the stress later on (and this is exactly what most if us do when we’re panicking).

Next step

Over the next few days and weeks, keep checking your credit report. Apps like Credit Karma are free and update regularly, this can gives you a clearer idea of whether anything has already been opened or applied for in your name. If something doesn’t look right, there are ways to add extra protection or warnings so extra checks are carried out. If any new accounts and searches are made you get notifications from the app itself too so it can give you another layer of security and let you keep tabs on things further.

From there, figure out what went wrong so you can make sure it doesnt happen again. Use payment methods like Paypal if you’re buying online so that your actual card details are never exposed to the company you’re buying from. Always have 2 factor set up especially on your email account because this is what’s essentially the key for everything else. 

Getting help

If you’ve had money taken out, your bank will help you a lot of the time as they have a duty of care to you. In more compex cases you might need to speak to a fraud solicitor who can go through things with you and get everything back that you had taken. Be kind to yourself. Scammers are so clever these days, it’s not just older or vulnerable people that get targeted, so many everyday people do too, even those who consider themselves to be pretty clued up and savvy on the internet. You’re not the first and unfortunately wont be the last, but you are a victim of a crime and that’s not your fault so keep that in mind going forward.