See also "I hacked the shipping privacy problem" #501150

Practical steps to protect yourself from the SSN hackPractical steps to protect yourself from the SSN hack

As many know, there's been a MASSIVE data leak with pretty much everyone's US Social Security numbers. (#644395)
I've been sorting out various ways of protecting myself and family from fraud and I've discovered the following which I would like to share with you:

Cell Phone AccountCell Phone Account

At least on AT&T, on the main Account page there's small little blue letters under your name that says "Manage Profile" (should be https://www.att.com/acctmgmt/profile/overview). From there you can scroll to the bottom and in small blue letters you'll see "Manage Extra Security".

Here, you can mandate that whether online or in-person, any account access or changes must go through a passcode, so someone can't just walk in with a fake ID to SIMswap your number. https://m.stacker.news/45935

Perpetual Credit FreezePerpetual Credit Freeze

There's a nice page at [https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts] where they FTC explains that you can place a credit freeze, which can stop anyone from opening a loan or credit card in your name. The freeze is perpetual and will last until you un-freeze it. Furthermore, you only have to notify one of the 3 credit agencies and they will share your preference. https://m.stacker.news/45938

Opt Out from Pre-Screened Credit ApplicationsOpt Out from Pre-Screened Credit Applications

https://www.optoutprescreen.com

It's a smaller deal, but now you won't get as much junk mail, and there's less of a chance of someone, again, applying for credit in your name. https://m.stacker.news/45939

Primary source https://consumer.ftc.gov/identity-theft-and-online-security/identity-theft