Recent years have generated a lot of buzz for identity theft, a growing crime that can affect anyone. According to the Center for Victim Studies, one out of every ten Americans has either been a victim of ID theft or knows someone who has.

Maybe you’ve not been effected but are worried about the possibility. Or perhaps you’ve received notice that your personal information has been compromised in corporate data breach or that a credit monitoring scan found your sensitive info on the dark web.

While it is impossible to eliminate all risk, there are a number of steps individuals and families can take to mitigate the risk of loss due to ID theft. There are of course paid options, and these are good options. Purchasing a credit monitoring service that also comes with ID theft resolution and insurance is not a bad idea. Knowing that there will be dedicated specialists available to assist in the event of an incident can be comforting. Well-known companies offering these services include Lifelock by Norton and Discover, but there are many more and Trustpilot can be used to read reviews and evaluate the options. Another way to reduce the risk of ID theft is to use a VPN which makes it much harder for criminals to access your activity and information. However, while these plans may be helpful, they are often monthly subscriptions and can add up, especially for families who will enroll multiple individuals into the ID theft plans.

Fortunately, there are some no cost steps that can be taken and while they do not offer the same protection as some paid services, they can help to reduce risk.

1. Be cautious of personal information posted on social media, including information you believe is only visible to “friends.” Keep in mind that friends’ accounts could be hacked allowing the imposter to have full view of the information the user believe was private. It’s a good rule of thumb to accept that anything posted to social media is public information.
2. Don’t click any links or respond to emails or text messages that you do not recognize or expect. If you do get contacted by a company or friend you believe to legitimate, but are not expecting the contact, do not communicate until you are able to verify the communication is indeed coming from someone you know. For example, if you get an email from your bank or retailer prompting action, consider calling that bank or retailer first to inquire if they contact they initiated was legitimate.
3. Utilize and regularly check your credit through a free credit monitoring service. Most banks offer a free credit monitoring service that will display a credit or FICO score and recent activity on your credit account. If your current bank does not offer this service, consider opening an account with one that does. Capital One Bank, for example, offers fee-free checking and savings accounts and provides a credit monitoring service called “Creditwise.” Note that these services provide monitoring but do not offer ID theft resolution services for free.
4. The strongest step an individual can take for free is to place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the credit bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. A fraud alert lasts for one year (but is renewable) and notifies potential lenders of the possibility of fraud so that they can conduct a more extensive identity check. A fraud alert only has to be made at one of the credit bureaus and then that one credit bureau that you notify is responsible for notifying the other two credit bureaus. A credit freeze must be placed with each of the credit bureaus individually. When a credit freeze is in place, access to your credit report is restricted and therefore it would be near impossible for credit to be opened in your name. If a consumer wants to open a new account while their credit is frozen, they can schedule a “thaw” or temporarily “unfreeze” their credit while they apply for a new account. Once the new account is opened, the consumer then can refreeze their credit. While freezing credit can be inconvenient, it is doable and there are clear instructions on each of the credit bureaus’ websites to direct users through every step. Learn more about fraud alerts and credit freezes from the FTC.

Remember that there is no way to eliminate all risk. The goal of believers is to have faith in God’s provision and have a strong faith community can assist in times of need, while also taking responsible action to mitigate risk of loss.