Source: AP News

Excerpt:

 Information theft is on the rise. Over 1.1 million people in the U.S. alone reported the crime to the Federal Trade Commission in 2022. When a thief opens accounts in your name or otherwise uses your data, you might feel powerless. But there are steps you can take to prevent the worst outcomes.

Colleen Tressler, a senior project manager for the FTC, has tracked consumer issues including identity theft for more than three decades. She said frauds and scams often emerge during specific emergencies such as the COVID pandemic, and in the wake of climate-related catastrophes.

“They’re imposters, so they’re going after your personal information and your financial information however they can,” she said. “They’ll relate it to anything in their deck of cards — to COVID, to the weather.”

People in a heightened emotional state in the wake of a wildfire or hurricane should be extra careful of impersonators asking for identifying details, Tressler said. Scammers might pretend to be from the utility company or the Federal Emergency Management Agency and ask to “verify information.”

Read more: Information theft is on the rise. People are particularly vulnerable after natural disasters