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5 Steps to Take After Being Hacked

By: One Nevada Credit Union / 01 Oct 2020
5 Steps to Take After Being Hacked

The last thing any of us wants to find out is that we've been hacked! To mitigate the damage and jumpstart your recovery process, we recommend you take five steps as soon as you've been hacked.

Step 1: Assess the damage. First, determine the damage. Unfortunately, one hacked password can be the gateway to multiple hacked accounts and even identity theft. Review your credit card and checking account transactions for suspicious activity, and contact your financial institution immediately if you see anything you do not recognize.

Next, try accessing your email, social media accounts, and mobile devices to see if they've been hacked. Then, enter each email address you use at haveibeenpwned.com to see if any of your online accounts with those emails have been compromised.

Step 2: Change your passwords. Once you know which accounts and devices have been hacked, change your passwords and/or PINs. For added protection, it's a good idea to change the passwords on all your accounts that may hold sensitive information. Remember to choose different, strong, unique passwords for every account. We recommend using 1password.com to make this step easier and to help keep track of all your different passwords. While completing this step, consider signing up for multi-factor authentication for any accounts that do not already have it in place.

 Step 3: Protect your credit. Dispute any fraudulent charges on your compromised account(s). If necessary, have the account(s) locked or even removed. Next, place a fraud alert on your credit reports. This serves as a red flag to potential lenders and creditors. Also, consider a credit freeze, which blocks potential lenders from accessing your credit report. This makes it impossible for the hacker to open new credit accounts in your name.

Step 4: Alert the authorities. You can alert the FTC of a possible or confirmed identity theft at identitytheft.gov . You'll also find a detailed recovery plan on the site to help you repair your credit and reclaim your identity. Hacking is usually done remotely, but it's still a good idea to let your local law enforcement agencies know about the breach.

Step 5: Proceed with caution. It's important to keep a close eye on your accounts for the next month. Consider changing your usernames in addition to your passwords. Avoid using your email address as your username whenever possible. One Nevada offers the flexibility to change your username whenever you'd like.

Continually monitor your accounts for suspicious activity. If you spot any, be sure to let the account holders know and to follow the steps above. If you've opted to go with a credit freeze, it will generally lapse after 90 days. As always, we work diligently to prevent fraudsters from accessing your One Nevada accounts. If you are concerned that your account(s) has been compromised, just call us at 800-388-3000 so we can help. 

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