Fraud today rarely looks like a stranger breaking in. It looks like a convincing phone call, a familiar-looking email, or a text message that seems to come from your bank. The good news: most of the biggest risks can be addressed in a single afternoon.
Identity theft protection doesn’t require a monitoring subscription or cybersecurity expertise, just a handful of concrete, mostly one-time actions. Work through the checklist below at your own pace; even the first three or four steps meaningfully reduce your risk.
1. Freeze Your Credit to Block New Account Fraud
- Why do this: A credit freeze prevents anyone from opening new accounts in your name even if they have your Social Security number. No monitoring service needed.
- Action: Call or visit these three sites to freeze your credit:
- Equifax (1-800-349-9960),
- Experian (1-888-397-3742), and
- TransUnion (1-888-909-8872).
- Good to know: You can temporarily unfreeze your credit anytime, even for just 24 hours, when you need to apply for new credit. These sites may try to sell you additional services, but they’re unnecessary. Freezing your credit is free.
- Extra step: If applicable, encourage your children to do the same.
2. Check Your Credit Report Regularly to Catch Identity Theft Early
- What to do: Order your free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com.
- Action: Set a calendar reminder to check your credit report at least once per year.
- Review for: Accounts you don’t recognize, credit lines you no longer use, and unfamiliar inquiries.
- Close unused credit accounts to reduce risk.
3. Use a Password Manager for Stronger Password Security
- What it does: Stores all your passwords securely so you can use unique, strong passwords for every account.
- Action: Choose and set up a password manager. See CNET’s best password managers of 2026 and The Wall Street Journal’s guide to why you need a password manager for their current top picks.
- Access: Use a master password or Face ID.
- Important: Write down your master password and store it in a safe place, such as your home safe.
4. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on Every Account
- Why do this: Even if someone steals your password, MFA requires a second form of verification, typically a code from your phone before granting access. It is one of the single most effective steps you can take.
- Action: Turn on MFA for every account that offers it, starting with your email, bank, brokerage, and Social Security account.
- Best practice: Use an authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Authy) rather than SMS text codes when possible. Text-based codes can be intercepted through SIM swapping (see Step 7).
- Takes: A few minutes per account and dramatically reduces your risk.
5. Open a Separate Checking Account for Venmo, Zelle, and PayPal
- Why: Limits your exposure if a payment app is compromised.
- Action: Open a new checking account dedicated only to Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, and similar apps.
- Keep low balances in this account, only what you need for transactions.
- Tip: Where possible, link a credit card rather than a debit card or bank account to your payment apps. Credit cards offer stronger fraud protection and chargeback rights than debit cards.
6. Create a Family Code Word to Stop AI Voice Cloning Scams
- Why do this: Criminals increasingly use AI voice cloning to impersonate family members and request emergency money. A simple code word protects against these sophisticated scams.
- Action: Create and share a family code word with close family members.
- How to choose: Pick something easy to remember but impossible to guess online. Avoid pet names and street names. Use a family inside joke, anecdote, or memorable phrase only your family would know. As an alternative, create a security question only family members can answer, such as the name of a motel you stayed at on a childhood trip.
- Keep it safe: Share it only in person or over the phone, never by text or email. Store it in your password manager if needed, and share it only with trusted, close family members.
- How to use: If someone calls claiming to be a family member in an emergency, ask for the code word before sending money. If you’re the one calling for help, say the code word so they know it’s really you.
- Best practice: Don’t change it unless necessary, such as after a divorce or suspected breach. Consistency prevents confusion.
7. Lock Down Your Mobile Account to Prevent SIM Swapping
- Why do this: “SIM swapping” is when a criminal convinces your mobile carrier to transfer your phone number to a device they control. Once they have your number, they can intercept text-based security codes and break into your bank, email, and brokerage accounts. Two steps will shut this down.
- Step 1: Add a PIN to your carrier account: This is not the unlock code on your phone. It is a separate PIN your carrier requires before making any account changes. Most people either never set one or used the last four digits of their Social Security number, which defeats the purpose. Call your carrier or set it through their app.
- Step 2: Enable a number lock or port freeze: This tells your carrier not to allow your number to be transferred to another carrier unless you personally log in and turn it off first. Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile all offer this for free.
- If you own a family plan, you can enable the port freeze for every line on your account — your spouse, your kids, your parents — without needing to send everyone instructions. Just log into your carrier’s app or website and lock every line yourself.
- Takes about 3 minutes and protects everyone on your plan.
8. Protect Your Checks from “Checkwashing” Fraud
- What is it: Checkwashing is one of the fastest-growing forms of mail fraud. A thief steals an envelope from a mailbox or USPS collection box, uses a chemical solvent to dissolve the ink, and rewrites the check to themselves for a larger amount. Your signature stays intact, so the bank processes it without question.
- Use a gel pen. Choose a pen with pigment-based gel ink. Gel ink bonds to paper fibers and resists chemical solvents; a regular ballpoint pen can be washed clean in minutes.
- Use online bill pay whenever possible. Your bank issues the payment directly, often as a cashier’s check or electronic transfer, rather than a personal check drawn on your account. You control the amount, payee, and timing, and nothing is sitting in a mailbox waiting to be stolen.
- Keep only what you need in your checking account. Move excess cash into a money market fund or savings account. If a fraudulent check clears, the damage is limited to the available balance.
- If you must mail a check, drop it inside the post office rather than in an outdoor collection box.
- Follow up. If a check you’ve mailed hasn’t been cashed within a reasonable timeframe, call the recipient and confirm.
- If you discover fraud: Contact your bank immediately, file a police report, and submit a fraud affidavit. Recovery can take weeks or months, and the outcome is not guaranteed, which is why prevention matters most.
9. Protect Yourself on Public Wi-Fi Networks
- Why do this: Public Wi-Fi networks at coffee shops, hotels, and airports are easy targets for hackers who can intercept your data, capture your keystrokes, and steal login credentials.
- Action: Avoid logging in to financial accounts, email, or any site that contains sensitive information while connected to public Wi-Fi.
- Use a VPN: If you need to use public Wi-Fi, install and activate a virtual private network on your device to encrypt your connection so anyone monitoring the network can’t see your activity. Cnet recently listed its top-ranked VPNs for privacy, speed and value.
- Additional steps: Turn off auto-join for Wi-Fi networks so your phone doesn’t connect to unfamiliar networks automatically. Also, disable file sharing and AirDrop when you’re not using them.
10. Secure Your Home Network and Router
- Why do this: Your home router is the gateway to every device in your house including laptops, phones, smart TVs, security cameras, and thermostats. If a hacker gains access to your router, they can monitor your activity, capture passwords, and infect your devices.
- Change the default router password. Most routers ship with a factory-set username and password, often “admin/admin.” Change it immediately to a strong, unique password.
- Set up a separate guest network. Create one network for your personal devices and a separate guest network for visitors, children, and smart home devices. This keeps your primary network isolated if a less-secure device is compromised.
- Turn on your router’s firewall and encryption. Most modern routers support WPA3 or WPA2 encryption; make sure it’s enabled.
- Keep your router’s firmware up to date. Choose a router that updates automatically or check for updates periodically. Outdated firmware is a common vulnerability.
11. Keep Your Software and Devices Up to Date
- Why do this: Outdated software is one of the most common ways hackers gain access to your devices. Updates frequently include patches for known security vulnerabilities.
- Enable automatic updates on your phone, computer, tablet, and browser. This applies to your operating system (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS), your web browser, and your apps.
- Install anti-virus software on all your devices, including your phone, and keep it up to date.
- Don’t ignore update prompts. Those notifications are easy to dismiss, but each one may be closing a security hole that hackers are actively exploiting.
How HTG Advisors Can Help Protect Your Finances
Protecting your identity and your finances isn’t a single decision; it’s a set of habits that, once in place, take very little ongoing effort to maintain. Most of the steps above are one-time setups: freeze your credit once, turn on MFA once, lock your carrier account once, and you’ve closed off the most common paths fraud takes.
If you’re not sure where to start or want a second set of eyes on your broader financial security, including how it intersects with your investment accounts, estate plan, and beneficiary designations, we’re here to help.