Protect your Identity during Disasters #OKready #OKstrong

The disaster recovery process is often a gradual one that takes a lot of time and effort.  While safety is a primary concern, you should also be mindful of another aspect of disasters – identity theft scams. Scammers use the confusion of disasters to take advantage of those in need.  

Though it can be hard to monitor everything that is taking place in the midst of an emergency, Equifax offers a few helpful rules to protect your identity, including:

• Stop your mail from being delivered! Mail can contain important and personal information. Leaving it in your mailbox for an extended amount of time leaves it vulnerable to thieves; 
• Check your credit report as soon as you can after a disaster to inspect for suspicious activity;
• Protect your virtual assets. Only use secure, password protected Internet connections to check bank accounts, email, or other potentially sensitive websites; and
• Make a plan to protect your documents! 

You can use the Be Smart. Protect Your Critical Documents and Valuables guide from America’s PrepareAthon! to get started.