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So you falsified your credit application, which they granted. You then paid at least some of the credit card late or not at all. Then they reported your information to the credit bureaus as a delinquent account. And now you wish to dispute the report because you were a minor?I would say you have no case since you were lying in order to obtain credit which is fraud. If you tried to press your case you might end up in jail. Your best maneuver at this point is to do five things.Gat the app on your phone or go to the websites on your computer. Obtain a free credit report for all three credit bureaus. Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. Determine how much the credit card company says is your high (how much you charged that wasn’t paid). Just knowing your FICA score is not going to cut it.Save up enough money to pay that amount. It may take you several months, but this is like being overweight. Do you think an overweight person could lose all their excess in one day? No. They didn’t gain it in a day. They won’t lose it in a day. Same here. You didn’t get delinquent in a day. You won’t fix it with some quick tricks. There are some online that will promise you that. They are lying. The credit bureaus are wise to their tricks.Download one of those recording apps to your phone. You want to be able to record while you are talking. This feature may require a small payment. Set the app to record for as much space as you have on your phone. Record all conversations on this matter.Contact the credit card company and ask to speak to a manager. Call within a couple of days to the end of the month, preferably in the morning. You may be tossed back and forth between service reps who might use official sounding titles like floor supervisor. This is not a manager. You will not speak to anyone but a manager. Don’t tell anyone what it’s concerning. You can say it is a matter for me and a (company name) manager. When you finally get someone who claims to be a manager tell them your name and then ask them for their full name.(first and last) Write it down. Tell him you are recording the phone call and that you wish to negotiate an agreement for satisfying the debt and getting them to remove the negative remarks on all three credit bureaus. You and he both know how much you really owe. He will start high and he may have racked on fees that makes his total more than credit bureaus. If it’s not in the credit bureau report, he can’t collect more than that, unless you let him. You will start low. This is negotiation and I can’t teach you that on a Quora post. This is where having a attorney would help. But if you are the type that can negotiate naturally, go for it. Maybe during this time while you are saving, you could read Trump’s book on the Art of the Deal or any of a thousand out there that will try to teach you negotiation. DO NOT tell them you were underage when you obtained the credit. You tell him you were young and made foolish decisions. You tell him you were in a car accident and both your legs were amputated or some other horrific story. You will not be negotiating a payment plan. This will be one payment, likely he’ll want a wire transfer, so be prepared with those fees. Your bank will wire money usually for about $25–50. But you can also use Western Union, but the prices are higher. When you have an agreement, wire the money exactly as you agree to. Tell him it will be there before the end of day. Then go wire the money. Already have this part nailed down so you’re not hunting someplace after hanging up.If you have done it right, then you will now have nothing in your credit report. You need to be able to verify this. And you can now go get one of the secured cards or a second chance card. You can build your credit just like you screwed it up. One month at a time. One payment at a time.

I am incredibly excited to write this answer.Could you guess why?Affiliate Marketing Has changed my life. FOR RESOURCES READ BELOW0:00-0:30Affiliate marketing has been a part of my regular life for a year now.It has sharpened my speaking, value creation, and discipline skills above all.Over time I have bridged the gap and discovered tools that will cut the learning curve for anyone: Feel free to look at my profile to learn more about the skills for creating more streams of income.After a year of self education and from mentors making 5 figures, making real profit from multiple accounts in digital marketing, and teaching others the strategies to do the same…I strongly believe I have authority to answer this question.So sit back, grab a snack, and get ready to buckle down for this new information. Plus here’s my mentor’s latest car!0:00-0:30Obviously we’ll need a solid foundation…So what really is Affiliate Marketing?The process of building and audience and you promote 3rd party services or products to your audience You get a commission from every verified sale.(An audience is commonly referred to as a List) so I'll refer to an audience as a list from now on.Did you catch that?Above the diagram I Bolded the term “audience”It is the most critical part in the process. Without a List to promote to, you can never sell any products.The opposite is true too.Once you develop and targeted, scaled, active, engaging, trusting list, you can sell practically everything to them.HOW DO YOU CREATE THESE LIST TO SELL YOUR PRODUCTS TOO?Here are a few places to create a List on.Build a personal brand On Instagram, Facebook, TwitterCreating a Brand by uploading on YouTubeWriting Answers to Questions here on QuoraYou NEED to learn what content to post on each different platform. But even more important than content Is:How to RANK your content on each platform so people actually see it. and want to read, watch, or listen to your content and become a part of your LIST.One problem with all of these platforms…You Don’t own these platforms.Even if you have a massive list that you are profiting from across multiple platforms. Your account can still be banned and so will your entire affiliate marketing career. gone over night.So you may ask: Stefano do we have any safety net?My Response is: Blogging!Hosting a blog on your own authority site and creating an active email list will continue to make you money forever.No matter how the online landscape changes.Make relevant blog post for a specific niche and it will take time to create an engaged List. So here I would recommend using the other platforms to continuously acquire new Leads (potential customers)And you keep them by giving them value on your authority blog site.Remember that not all niches are created equalSo keep these 3 factors in mind while choosing the niche you wish to promote.Link OpportunitiesProfitabilityLow competitionUse tools like google ad planner, ask the public, Vid IQ Chrome extension, and Keywords Every Chrome extension to research niches that best meet al these factors. Make sure that search volume is between (1000–1300 per month) For your first 1–2 years building a list of 1,000–2,500 followers in your list and on platforms.The top 100 affiliate programs for online marketing bloggersIn addition to the 3 general rules for choosing a niche, you need to be even more selective when choosing the best affiliate networks. So pick networks that:Have the most merchants in your nicheJoin networks the are 100% free to joinHas high level of customer supportHas high paying merchantsIt’s clear that very few network will fill this description perfectly so use these rules as a guide to select the best programs to be a part of.The Top 3 Affiliate Networks of 2019BuilderallWith thousands of active affinities, and the growth it’s seen over the past several years. An extremely generous payment system. Providing profits on two tiers and done for you sales funnels to promote the affiliate program and tools. This all in one digital marketing platform and customer satisfaction driven company has really made a name for itself. Being able to provide success to all levels on affiliate marketers is not east feat. But with one of the best user interfaces in the marketing realm, it's no a big surprise. I recommend joining Builderall First.2. ShareasaleWith a massive affiliate network and a variety of different niches to promote. 19 years experience. general marketing tools and much more. You can't go wrong promoting this tool.3. Rakuten LinkshareWith around a 1,000 merchants not as huge as the others. However they have been around since 1996. I must warn that there are inconsistent payment schedules so just prepare for that. But if you’re looking to expand into new affiliate networks consider joining this one.Web Hosting Affilaite Programs4. BluehostTheir plans start at $2.95/month and one time payouts at $65. payment are made the 16th till the end of each month and you need at least $100 to release your payment. Easy to promote too so I recommend this as a staple for bloggers.5. WP EngineStarting at $200 per sale. With many plug in abilities and ability to create themes. Offering a two tier affiliate program, earn $50 for a sub-affiliate you refer to their platform. It can take time to get used to promoting that sized affiliate product but it’s well worth it.6. Cloudways$200 per sale and flexible commission structure. You get a dedicated affiliate manager and access to general marketing tools to promote the platform.7. IpageProvides web hosting. The affiliate program offers a base payout of $105 and opportunity to make up to $150 for every sale. Their low fee boost sales and encourage long term paying customers because they have low Low price of $1.99 for their monthly fee.8. SitegroundFocused on high- quality, user friendly web hosting. They have been around for over a decade plus offering auto-scaleability features for websites wanting to grow. Earn between $50-$125 for each sale with the benefit of weekly payments.Travel Affiliate Programs - Focus on Hotel Affiliate Programs9. Booking . com, $14 commission per sale.10. Hilton, 4% commission for every room booked.11. Hotels. com, 4% for each sale and they offer 7 day cookies for Affiliates.12. Marriott, 3% commission for each vacation package sold, Hotel bookings 4–6% per sale, offers 7 day cookie retention for Affiliates.Here Are The Top Paying Travel Platform Affiliate Programs13. Expedia, 2–6% commission per sale, offers 7 day cookies.14. Hotwire, 2% commissions per sale, offers 7 day cookies.15. Priceline, 3–5% commission when promoting anything, offers 30 day cookies.16. Travelocity, 2–4% commissions for promoting anything, offers 45 day cookies.17. TripAdvisor, 50% commission, offers 14 day cookies.Finance Affiliate Programs - focused on credit card services, and financial goods and services18. Bankrate Credit Cards, CPM, CPC, CPL, and CPA offered based on the type of credit card.19. Bankaffiliates. com, Connects you to a network of credit cards offering affiliate programs.20. Credit .com, Offers multiple payout commission options based on credit card types.21. Commission Soup, Connects you to an affiliate network for credit card offers.22. Equifax, $10–40 for every sale, offers 30 day cookies.23. Freshbooks, $5 cost per lead and $55 for each sale, and offers 120 day cookies.24. Liberty Mutual, $3–17 cost per lead, and payout based on the insurance type.25. Netquote, $2.50–20 cost per lead, and also based on the insurance type.26.QuickBooks, 7% commissions per sale, and offers 45 day cookies.27. TransUnion, Offers $20 per sale and offers 45 day cookies.Gaming Affiliate Programs28. Astro Gaming, 5% commissions and offers 180 day cookies.29. Fanatical, 5% commissions and offers 90 day cookies.30. G2Deal, 10–20% commissions on software, 3% for other products and offers 30 day cookies.31, Gamefly, $15 per trial leads, 5% for new games, 10% used games, offers 30 day cookies.32. Twitch, 50% of subscriptions, 5% on game sales.Fitness Affiliate Programs - Pretty self explanatory33. Ace Fitness, 8% of all sales.34. BodyBuilding. com, 15% for new customers, 5% for returning customers, offers 9 day cookies.35. Bowflex, Commissions 7% of sales, AOV over $2,000, offers 3 day cookies.36. Life Fitness, 8%+ commissions, offers 30 day cookies.37. Pro Form, Commissions 8–11% of sales.38. TRX Training, 8% of sales, offers 30 day cookies.Fashion Affiliate Programs39. Eddie Bauer, commissions 5% per every sale, offers 7 day cookies.40. H&M, commissions 20% per sale, offers 30 day cookies.41. JNCO Jeans, 20% per sale, offers 30 day cookies.42. Lane Bryant, commissions 5% per sale.43. ModCloth, commission 7% per sale, offers 45 day cookies.44. MVMT Watches, commissions 10% per sale, offers 15 day cookies.45. Newchic, commissions up to 18% for each sale, offers 60 day cookies.46. Nordstrom, commissions 2–20% for each sale.47. Stitch Fix, commissions 4% for everything, and offers 7 day cookies.48. True Religion, commissions 7% per sale, offers 7 day cookies.49. Warby Parker, commissions 20% per sale, offers 45 day cookies.You Guys Get the Picture.. Even If hit my Picture LimitThere are so many programs out there, it’s a matter of trying multiple out until you find the handful you want to invest time into building a List for. If you want more than don’t let me stop you now.Recurring Affiliate Programs50. Aweber, 30% recurring commissions for each license sold.51. ConvertKit, 30% recurring commission for each license sold.52. GetResponse, 33% recurring commission for each license sold.53. Leadpages, 30% recurring commissions for every license sold.54. Teachable, 30% recurring commission for each license sold.55. Thinkific, 20% recurring commissions for every license sold.Beauty And Makeup Affiliate Programs56. Avon, Commissions up to 10% per sale, average around 3%.57. Beautytap, Commissions 7.5% for each sale with performance bonuses, offer 7 day cookies.58. BH Cosmetics, commissions 8% for everything and offers 60 day cookies.59. L’Occitane en Provence, commissions 2.5% per sale, offers 45 day cookies.60. Sephora, commissions 5–10% per sale, offers 24 hour cookies.61. Ulta Beauty, commissions 2–5% per sale, offers 30 day cookies.62. Wander Beauty, commissions 15% per sale, offers 30 day cookies.Music Affiliate Programs63. Guitar Center, commissions 6% per sale, offers 14 day cookies.64. Musician’s Friend, Commissions 4% per sale, offers 14 day cookies.65. Same Ash, commissions 7–10% for each sale, offers 60 day cookies.66. Singorama, commissions 70% on instant downloads, 40% on shipped course, offers 60 day cookies.67. zZounds, commissions 6% per sale and bonuses, offers 45 day cookies.Marijuana Affiliate Programs - Make sure you know your State’s or country’s laws for this niche..68. Dr. Seeds, commissions 15% for every sale.69. Grasscity, commissions 10% for every sale and 5% of sub affiliate sale.70. Green CulterED, commissions 60% for everything and offers 365 day cookies.71. Seedsman, commissions 15% for each sale.72. THC University, commissions $25 per student, offers 30 day cookies.Cryptocurrency And Bitcoin Affiliate Programs73. Binance, commissions 20% for referrals trade fees, 40% if holding 500 BNB.74. Coinbase, commissions when a user buts $100 of BTC, receive $10 of BTC, earn period once per customer.75. Ledger Wallet, Commissions 10% of net sale amount, payout in BTC, with 0.1 BTC minimum payout amount required.76. LocalBitcoins. com, commissions 20% of the user’s trading fee for every trade, earn period 1 year from the user’s registration date.77. Trezor Wallet, commission 20% of all sales.Best High Paying Sports Affiliate Programs78. Dick’s Sporting Goods, commissions 5% per sale on average, offers 10 day cookies.79. Draft Kings, commissions 40% of referrals net gaming revenue first 30 days, 25% days 31+.80. Fanatics, commissions up to 10% per sale, offers 7 day cookies.81. FanDuel, commissions $25–35 per signup, 35% rev share for referrals’ in the first 2 years.82. Sports Memorabilia, commissions 9% of sales, offers 365 day cookies.83. TaylorMade Golf, commissions 9% of sales and offers 365 day cookies.84. Under Armour, Commissions 5% of sales, offers 30 day cookies.Pinterest Affiliate Programs85. Amazon Associates, Sell any product on Amazon for varying commissions.86. Shareasale, Use the massive networks to sell products in the fashion, home, garden, food, drink, gaming, fitnesses, etc niches.87. Sendowl, Become a Pinterest content creator and sell online courses on how to do things.88.Shopstyle Collective, Use this fashion site to promote various clothing pieces and accessories.Beginner Section:I would start with these 6 programs and get a general understanding in which affiliate programs industries you’re best suited for promoting.89. Wrike, a management and collaboration tool to help teams complete projects. commissions $100 per professional subscription, $200 per paid Enterprise subscription.90. TravelPayouts, Use three travel engines to scan popular sites to help users find cheap easy travel options. commissions 70% on each sale.91. HealthyWage, Earn some income helping others lose their unwanted weight!, commissions $60 for each sign up, $40 for each Team Challenge participant sign up.92. Udemy, One of the largest marketplaces, commissions 50% for any course you sell both new and returning customers.93. Google Adsense, commissions 68% for share content revenue and 51% for search revenue share.94. Commission Junction, commissions based on merchants, many to choose from. quick payout system.95. Clickbank, promote up to 6,000 products within your authority site, commissions 50–75% for every sale.96. LinkShare, huge flexibility tool and commissions vary but are worth the easy to sell tool.97. Neverblue, Good sized affiliate network and quick usage with quick payouts. Offers wide selections of products to promote with many having large profit margins.98. Ebay Partner Network, Diverse number of products, high room for commissions. PayPal payment make for quick payouts.99. PeerFly, over 1500 active affiliates, offers many great quality forms of commissions like CPL, CPS, and CPA. Highly reliable to use.100. OmniStar, Tool allows for other affiliate managers to manage their portfolios with great ease, commissions vary but are well worth investing in.BonusBuilderall business opportunity, Offers any training features and explains ability to making income on two levels in an ethical way. Extremely reliable and highly recommended for beginners.There is no one size fits all for affiliate programs..Try multiple at a time despite the extra effort it may take. It will give you invaluable insights, expirence around adjusting to so many different program layouts. and force you to grow as an affiliate marketer.Challenge Yourself“Don’t Leave for tomorrow what can be done today”.If you liked this information and wish to see more answers like this make sure to:Share this across platforms, Upvote, and give me a follow on my profile page.Have an exceptional day!

Well, aside from the shop and spend spree, there is the very messy “Identity theft”, and as you can see below, this is no fun:5 Steps to Take Immediately If You’ve Been a Victim of Identity TheftKimberly RotterJanuary 15, 2014; Updated: December 16, 2019[The discovery of identity theft is bound to be one of the most anxious and stressful moments a person can experience. When an identity thief gets his (or her) hands on your personal information, they gain the power to wreak havoc on your finances, credit, and reputation.Minimize the chance that you will fall victim to an identity thief, and find out what to do if you suspect your identity has been compromised. Credit Sesame has created this guide to arm you with knowledge about how and when identity theft can happen, what the warning signs are, what prevention measures you can take, and what you can do to respond to identity theft in your life.What is identity theft?In simple terms, identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information, such as your name and Social Security number, without your permission. You might think of identity theft as most often related to credit or banking. For example, a thief opens a credit card in your name uses it to make purchases. In reality, the scope is much broader.Tax- and wage-related identity theftmage Source | Redirect NoticeTax- and wage-related fraud is the most common type of identity theft, accounting for 45 percent of all reported cases. Tax identity theft happens when someone steals your identity and files a fraudulent tax return in your name. Wage-related fraud occurs when someone uses your identity to earn and collect wages.2. Financial identity theftFinancial identity theft is the use of your personal information for financial gain. The credit card example above is a good example. Fraudulent access to your bank account is another. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that credit card fraud and bank fraud account for 16 percent and 6 percent, respectively, of all identity theft cases, reported annually.3. Medical identity theftA medical identity thief uses your identity to get healthcare. If you’ve ever received a doctor bill in the mail for treatment that you don’t remember getting, you could be a victim of medical identity theft. Medical identity theft not only leaves a stack of medical bills, it also causes incorrect information to be placed in your medical file.Child identity theftChildren are often targeted by identity thieves. One reason is that children have clean credit files. They haven’t had a chance to let any bill go unpaid. So with careful use, a child’s identity is the ticket to a smorgasbord of credit. Also, in many cases the fraud is not discovered for many years, so the thief has plenty of time to fully leverage the stolen identity. Perpetrators are often relatives. Javelin estimates that in 2015, 1.2 million parents received notifications that their child’s Social Security number had been compromised.5. Driver’s license identity theftWhen an identity thief targets your wallet, he may be looking for more than cash and credit cards. Your driver’s license can be used to hide the criminal’s true identity in the commission of various types of crimes. Imagine the financial and insurance nightmare you’ll face if a fraudster gets speeding tickets or wrecks a car while claiming to be you.6. Criminal identity theftIn an even worse -case scenario, an identity thief could use your information to commit a more serious crime, or hurt someone.How much do identity thieves steal?Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the U.S. Between 2014 and 2015, identity theft complaints to the Federal Trade Commission increased by 47 percent. According to Javelin Strategy & Research’s 2016 Identity Fraud Study, identity thieves stole $15 billion from 13.1 million U.S. consumers in 2015. Collectively, identity thieves made off with $112 billion over the past six years, which breaks down to $35,600 stolen every minute.The Javelin study revealed that one type of identity theft increased by 113 percent in 2015: new account fraud. This spike is in response to the nationwide implementation of the EMV Compliance Mandate, which places fraud liability on businesses that fail to upgrade their point-of-sale systems to accommodate EMV chip credit cards. Overall, new account fraud accounts for 20 percent of all fraud losses.Identity theft can happen anywhere. Here in the U.S., Missouri has the highest per capita rate of identity theft reports, according to the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book, followed by Connecticut and Florida.Identity theft and your creditYour credit score is a primary consideration when lenders evaluate your application for a credit card, car loan, mortgage or other credit product. Identity theft can impact your score in a big way.Generally speaking, credit scores are based on a handful of factors, including:Payment historyHow much of your available credit you’re usingThe age of your credit accountsThe types of credit you’re usingHow often you apply for new creditIdentity theft can affect all of these factors and bring your score down in the process. For instance, if a thief opens three new credit cards in your name, the inquiries will each lower your score, your overall file age will go down (and your score with it), the balances will affect your utilization ratio, and the payment history (or failure to pay) will have a big impact on your credit rating. o affects the average age of your credit history.The key thing to remember is that identity theft hurts your credit the most when it goes unnoticed. Once you catch on, you can take steps to shut down fraudulent accounts and clean up your credit. More on that in a minute.Are you legally responsible for fraudulent charges?When you find out that someone has racked up debt in your name, the first thing you may wonder is whether you’ll be on the hook to pay it back. When identity theft involves a debit or credit card, your losses are limited under the Fair Credit Billing Act and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act.Liability for fraudulent credit card chargesThe Fair Credit Billing Act caps your liability for unauthorized credit card purchases at $50, and many credit card issuers lower this to $0. If you report a lost or stolen card before it is used, your liability is always zero. Also, if someone steals your credit card number but not the card itself, you’re not liable for any unauthorized use.Liability for ATM and debit card fraudFor stolen ATM and debit cards, your liability depends on how quickly you report the loss or theft.Your liability is $0 if you report a lost or stolen card before any unauthorized charges are made. Your liability is $50 if you report within two business days after you learn of the loss or theft. If you wait more than two but less 60 days to report a lost or stolen debit card, your liability is $500. After 60 days, your liability has no upper limit. Report identity theft as soon as you suspect it.What to do when your identity is stolenIf you suspect identity theft, act quickly to minimize any negative consequences. Below are some key steps to take to stop an identity thief in their tracks.The first thing you should do is to sign up for Credit Sesame’s credit monitoring service now before you become a victim. Credit Sesame membership is 100% free, and no credit card is required to sign up. All Credit Sesame members get $50,000 in free identity theft insurance and live support through the process of identity restoration.1. Put a fraud alert on your credit reportsA fraud alert puts a red flag on your credit report and notifies lenders and creditors that they should take extra steps to verify your identity before extending credit. To place a 90-day fraud alert on all three of your credit reports, you only need to contact one of the three credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion). When you place the initial alert, the agency will automatically notify the other two for you.When you place a fraud alert on your credit reports, you’re entitled to a free copy of your credit report from each of the three agencies. Be sure to obtain them. If you find fraudulent items on your credit report(s), the simplest way to begin the dispute process is to click the dispute button while viewing your credit report online. Some items must be disputed in writing and with supporting documentation. Hard inquiries cannot be disputed but may give you a clue as to where a thief has applied for credit in your name.Initial fraud alerts are free and remain in place for 90 days. In some cases, extended fraud alerts incur a small fee, but under most circumstances, fraud alert services are free to victims of identity theft.Another option—and a more effective identity theft prevention measure—is to place a security freeze on each of your credit reports. A freeze prevents creditors (except those with whom you already do business) from accessing your credit report(s) at all. Most new applications will automatically be declined because, without access to your file, the creditor will have no way to evaluate your credit. With a security freeze in place, you will need to take extra steps if you wish to apply for new credit. Each agency has a procedure for temporarily “thawing” your file in order to allow a legitimate application to be processed. Unlike a fraud alert, you’ll need to contact each credit reporting agency individually to place a freeze on your files. See more information about credit freezes here:Not every state allows credit freezes to be placed by consumers who are not victims of identity theft, but every state allows identity theft victims to freeze their files. Some states charge a fee to freeze the file, and another fee to thaw it.2. Contact any institution directly affectedIf you know your credit card was stolen, report the theft to the credit card issuer. If your checkbook or debit card was stolen, contact your bank.For this step, it’s really helpful if you’ve prepared a list of institutions and phone numbers in advance. Don’t write down account numbers, PINs or passwords — that would be just one more way for a thief to gain access to your personal information. But know what you’ve got. Keep a list of what’s in your wallet, along with the contact information for each item. The best place to keep this list is on an encrypted secure online file storage site.3. Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)File an Identity Theft Affidavit and a police report (see #4 below), and create an Identity Theft Report. You can file your report online, by phone (toll-free): 1-877-ID THEFT (877-438-4338); TDD (toll-free): 1-866-653-4261, or by mail — 600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington DC 20580.The FTC will provide you with information about what to do next, depending on what type of fraud was (or may have been) committed.4. File a police reportTo complete the Identity Theft Report, you’ll need to contact your local law enforcement office and report the theft. Be sure to get a copy of the police report and/or the report number. Both your police report and the FTC Identity Theft Affidavit combine to create your Identity Theft Report. Your Identity Theft Report will help you when working with the credit reporting agencies or any other entities the identity thief may have contacted to open accounts in your name.5. Protect your Social Security numberIf your social security number was or may have been compromised, contact the Social Security Administration (800-269-0271) and the Internal Revenue Service (800-829-0433).It’s important to talk to the SSA and the IRS if you have reason to believe your Social Security number has been compromised, even if you don’t yet see any evidence of financial fraud. A thief could be planning to swipe your tax refund or to obtain employment or health care in your name.. Contact the Post OfficeIf you have reason to believe the identity thief may have submitted a fraudulent change-of-address to the post office or has used the U.S. mail to commit the fraud against you, contact the Postal Inspection Service, which is the law enforcement and security branch of the post office. Fill out the online form.This list is not exhaustive. These are only the first few steps. Indeed, clearing the wreckage of identity theft can be a laborious and complex process. For more information about how to prevent or recover from identity theft, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission offer a wealth of information and will walk you through the steps.Preventing identity theftThe best defense against identity theft is a good offense. The more proactive you are about preventing identity theft, the better. Here are some things you can do to minimize the risk that you’ll fall, a victim.Lockdown your Social Security number. Carrying your Social Security card in your wallet is a big no-no. Store it in a safe or a bank safe deposit box if you have one, or in a place at home where no one will stumble across it. Be very cautious about who you share your Social Security number with. Many people who ask for it routinely – including your doctor or dentist – do not need to have it. Your social security number should never be used as a form of ID. If you’re not applying for credit, keep it private. Never give out your SSN over the phone (unless you are 100% of the identity of the caller) or via email.Steer clear of phishing emails. Technology has made it possible for hackers, scammers and identity thieves to find their way into your inbox. You might receive a seemingly legitimate email from your bank or credit card issuer asking you to click on a link to verify your account information. When you click on it, however, you inadvertently give an identity thief access to your login details. Always verify the source of emails and double-check the URL on any website where you log in or enter personal details. Don’t download files unless you are sure of the sender.Be smart about mobile banking and shopping. Shopping and banking from your phone or mobile device are convenient but it will lead to headaches if an identity thief is able to intercept your personal information. If you use a shopping or banking app in a public place, don’t log in through public Wi-Fi. Also, shelter your entries from the view of anyone nearby who may be able to see your screen.Use complex, unique passwords and change them regularly. Security experts agree across the board that we shouldn’t use the same user ID or password for multiple accounts. Otherwise, an identity thief who cracks the code can access all of those accounts. Instead, use different passwords to update them every few months. The passwords you use should include letters, numbers, and symbols. Use a random password generator to create unique, complex passwords for each account, and keep them in an online password safe so that you won’t have to worry about remembering them.]