Stay alert this holiday season

CITY OF SEAL BEACH

The City of Seal Beach is encouraging its residents and visitors to stay alert to avoid identity theft this holiday season. People can protect themselves by securing their computer and mail, and identifying the signs of fraud. Some of the common methods of identity theft include skimming, phishing, dumpster diving, mail theft and the use of fraudulent websites.

Those who believe have became a victim of identity theft, should contact one of the national credit reporting companies listed below and put an alert on their credit. That company will notify the other two companies of this fraud alert.

• Equifax: www.equifax.com or 1-800-525-6285.

• Experian: www.experian.com or 1-888-397-3742.

• Transunion: www.transunion.com or 1-800-680-7289.

The initial fraud report is active for 90 days. People are also advised to cancel all compromised or open accounts. To learn more, contact the Seal Beach Police Department at 562-594-7232.

How Identity Theft Happens Data Breaches

(accidental or intentional)

Credit Card Theft

(when someone uses a stolen credit card or its information to steal)

Unsecure Browsing

(when a browser alerts the user with a “Not secure” warning)

Dark Web Marketplaces

(unregulated browsers such as Tor)

Malware Activity

(when the hackers spy on the/target's/ computer activity)