Combatting the Fraudsters from Stealing Your Identity
- Anthony Kathol
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
As a follow-up to my previous post about receiving Land Notification Alerts to prevent real estate fraud (see my blog post from February 5, 2026), today I want to discuss the importance of protecting yourself from identity theft, what steps to take if it happens, and how to secure your Social Security number from fraudsters.
After recently receiving a copy of my police report, the local State’s Attorney advised me to file complaints with the South Dakota Office of the Attorney General Consumer Protection Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prevent any opportunity of identity theft. Yesterday (March 4, 2026), I spent part of the afternoon reporting the credit card fraud to both of these consumer protection agencies.
After submitting my reports, I took some time to explore the FTC website. During that process, I learned that the week of March 1–7, 2026, is National Consumer Protection Week.
The FTC website contains a wealth of information available to the public, and I encourage you to take some time to familiarize yourself with the resources it provides.
Submitting a report to the FTC is optional, and many Americans never report fraud to law enforcement or consumer protection agencies. In many cases, people feel embarrassed or simply do not have the time to file a complaint. However, the FTC has made the reporting process straightforward and easy to complete.
See the infographic below for an overview of the process.
Upon submitting my report of credit card fraud and possible identity theft, the FTC provided information explaining how the report would be used. See below:
The FTC website also provides a personalized, step-by-step recovery plan designed to help you protect your identity after reporting fraud. Below is a copy of the report and recovery plan that I received.
If you believe you may be a victim of identity theft, do not hesitate to act quickly. Fraudsters are often one step ahead of their victims, and the more proactive you are, the better your chances of minimizing potential damage.
In my case, I had email notifications set up with my credit card company to alert me whenever a purchase was made with my card. This allowed me to act quickly, especially after receiving an alert about an unusual international charge that I did not authorize.
Below are tips published on the FTC website that can help you determine whether you may be vulnerable to identity theft.
The personalized recovery plan I received from the FTC advised me to secure my Social Security number by placing a lock on it—similar to how you might lock your smartphone or credit card if it is lost or stolen.
The FTC recommends creating an account on the myE-Verify website, which allows you to place a Self Lock on your Social Security number. This helps prevent fraudsters from using your stolen identity to apply for employment or improperly access benefits. Setting up a myE-Verify account is straightforward, and once the account is established, locking your Social Security number takes only a few moments.
At the end of the day, no one is immune to fraud. Personally, I have been a victim of fraud multiple times. In many cases, it was not due to carelessness with my personal information, but rather because companies I had done business with experienced data breaches that compromised my information.
Protecting your identity begins with you. It is just as important as saving money in the bank or safeguarding your loved ones. In today’s digital world, fraudsters constantly target individuals whose personal information may be vulnerable.
Identity theft is real, and recovering from it can take significant time and effort to restore and protect your identity. Being proactive and taking the proper steps to secure your personal information is essential whenever fraud occurs.
Below are the latest third-quarter 2025 statistics from the FTC website, which further emphasize the importance of protecting your identity from fraudsters. This information reflects cases that have been reported to the FTC and to various law enforcement agencies. As mentioned earlier, many victims never report fraud because of embarrassment or a lack of awareness.
As someone who recently experienced credit card fraud, I strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself with the various types of fraud schemes. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If your gut instinct tells you that something is not right, trust that feeling and walk away. Finally, if someone pressures you to make a credit card purchase or provide personal information, hang up or end the conversation.
Ultimately, you are your first line of defense against fraud and identity theft. But by sharing information and educating one another, we can work together to combat fraud and protect our families and communities.
