The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is shining a spotlight on identify theft with a week’s worth of educational opportunities to help keep you safe. Here’s the scoop from the FTC:
As unique as we each are, we all look the same to identity thieves: like good targets. To them, it’s all about our Social Security numbers, birth dates, account login credentials, and other personal information. But during Identity Theft Awareness Week (January 30-February 3) we can all fight back against identity theft.
During Identity Theft Awareness Week 2023, join the FTC to talk about how identity theft affects every community and also look at ways people of different communities — like veterans, students, older adults, and small business owners — might encounter identity thieves. They’ll examine common scams that target personal information and discuss how to detect identity theft, help protect against it, and recover if identity theft occurs.
The FTC will kick off with two back-to-basics events for everyone, in English and Spanish, along with the first of five short podcasts focused on college students. Throughout the week, we’ll talk with experts from AARP, the Identity Theft Resource Center, the Small Business Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the IRS, the Maryland Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, and Consumer Action.
For details on events and how to participate, visit Identity Theft Awareness Week 2023. Eager to get started? Early birds can join the FTC and the AARP Fraud Watch Network for Veterans and Identity Theft — Protecting Against Fraud at 2 PM ET (11 AM PT) on Wednesday, January 25.
Learn more about identity theft at ftc.gov/IDTheft. And, if identity theft happens to you or someone you know, visit IdentityTheft.gov to report it and get a personalized recovery plan.
