HONOLULU (KHON2) – According to the Better Business Bureau, a new report shows that identity theft is becoming a more common issue impacting individuals, families, and businesses.
The nonprofit’s report reveals that scammers are leveraging new technologies and shady chat forums to more easily steal and sell your important information.
BBB’s Cameron Nakashima says they’re seeing that nearly every scam today involves some level of identity or information theft – and what’s more troubling is that victims often don’t even realize their personal information has been compromised.
Their new BBB study shows that A.I. tools and dark web marketplaces and chatrooms are fueling this trend. Since 2021, over 16,000 reports of identity theft have come into BBB’s Scam Tracker – 84 of those are from Hawaii.
Nakashima says entirely avoiding identity theft may not be realistic – there are some factors beyond your control, but minimizing risk is something you can control:
- A simple and passive but powerful first step is to use strong, unique passwords and turn on multi-factor authentication. Use a password management tool to make being ultra-safe and ultra-easy
- Regularly monitor your credit reports and bank statements to catch fraud early. If you’re not opening any new credit soon, consider freezing your credit
- When online, use reputable website checkers like Google’s Safe Browsing Tool, and for businesses, look them up on BBB.org to verify legitimacy, double-check their company website, and confirm accurate contact information