FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — On the heels of a busy online shopping season, there’s a chance you may have clicked on a “too good to be true” deal.
“If you’ve already been a victim of a scam, locking up your credit is a great first step. Notifying the different credit bureaus of the scam and the extent of it.
AJ Flores with Portfolio Advisors says being proactive is the best defense but if it’s already too late, there are several steps you should take.
“Changing all your passwords, making sure all your logins are secure. Any hardware you use that maybe a laptop or computer make sure there are no malware or viruses,” Flores says.
Another option he recommends is freezing your credit.
“It’s a pretty straightforward switch. If you ever need to buy a new car or take out a loan, you can unfreeze the credit, and you can freeze it later that day,” he says.
There’s no impact on your score, but it does protect it, preventing someone from opening a new line of credit in your name.
Flores continues, “It’s not the biggest inconvenience in the world, but it does secure you from someone accessing your credentials”.
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