Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS

  Information is brought to you by Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties What Identity Thieves Want from Your Facebook Profile Social media is just that—social. And a big part of it is sharing photos when you’re out celebrating something, such as your birthday. However, these two things—photos of yourself and your date of birth—can be all someone needs to steal your identity and start opening bank accounts, credit cards and other things in your name. Frank Abagnale, a famous fraud-prevention specialist, has said that “98 percent of stealing a person’s identity is just finding their date of birth and an image of them.” While you may not want to delete every photo of yourself from Facebook, or leave your birthday off your profile page, you can at least limit who sees them. Hiding Your Date of Birth Click on your name and then click on the About tab. On the left are several categories that you can edit. Click on Contact and Basic Info to get to your birthd...

  Information is brought to you by Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties Warning Signs Your Identity Has Been Stolen Identity theft affects millions of Americans every year, with thieves draining people’s bank accounts, destroying credit scores and even ruining reputations. Unfortunately, many victims aren’t aware of an issue until significant damage is done, but by learning the telltale signs of identity theft, you have a much better chance of detecting any problems before it’s too late. LifeLock, a part of credit reporting agency TransUnion, suggests watching out for the following red flags: Personal Banking You receive a call, email or letter from your bank notifying you of possible fraud on your account. You see withdrawals you can’t explain on your bank statement, or charges you didn’t make on your credit card statement. Your interest rates go up due to unknown credit activity. Your credit report shows accounts you didn’t open or credit checks by c...

Information is brought to you by Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties Warning Signs Your Identity Has Been Stolen Identity theft affects millions of Americans every year, with thieves draining people’s bank accounts, destroying credit scores and even ruining reputations. Unfortunately, many victims aren’t aware of an issue until significant damage is done, but by learning the telltale signs of identity theft, you have a much better chance of detecting any problems before it’s too late. LifeLock, a part of credit reporting agency TransUnion, suggests watching out for the following red flags: Personal Banking You receive a call, email or letter from your bank notifying you of possible fraud on your account. You see withdrawals you can’t explain on your bank statement, or charges you didn’t make on your credit card statement. Your interest rates go up due to unknown credit activity. Your credit report shows accounts you didn’t open or credit checks by co...

  Information is brought to you by Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties What to Do If You Think You're a Victim of Identity Theft Identity theft is continuing to skyrocket thanks to the proliferation of online shopping and the sharing of personal information with companies and financial institutions alike. In fact, hundreds of millions of people have had their data stolen. This can occur through massive breaches of banks, stores and other businesses, or a dishonest person can misuse data that was disclosed on medical forms, employment records or other documents. Identity theft can be devastating. Thieves can open fraudulent accounts, make purchases with existing accounts, or empty bank accounts altogether. Victims often don’t realize there’s a problem until criminals have been misusing their accounts for weeks or longer. Call Your Creditors If you notice an unauthorized charge on a credit card, contact the bank immediately to dispute it. It’s possible ...

  Information is brought to you by Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties How to Protect Your Identity Online Protecting your identity online requires more than just ignoring spam emails from unknown senders, especially when it comes to using WiFi. Whether at home or in public, most people nowadays use wireless networks to save data on their phone plans or avoid spotty internet connections. However, this convenience comes at a risk. If you’re not careful, hackers might access your WiFi connection and compromise sensitive information stored on your device and in online accounts. To help keep your information secure no matter where you’re surfing the web, the Federal Communications Commission offers the following tips: Public WiFi When in public places, such as a coffee shop, check the validity of WiFi hotspots. If more than one hotspot appears claiming to belong to the establishment you’re in, check with the staff to avoid connecting to an imposter networ...