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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Another option he recommends is freezing your credit.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
There’s no impact on your score, but it does protect it, preventing someone from opening a new line of credit in your name.<\/p>\n
Flores continues, “It’s not the biggest inconvenience in the world, but it does secure you from someone accessing your credentials”.<\/p>\n
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