14 Things Hackers Can Do with Your Data
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6. Open a Bank Account in Your Name
To open a new bank account, individuals only need to provide their name, address and social security number. If your personal information is compromised, it’ll be easy for a hacker to open additional accounts in your name, especially if they’ve already got a driver’s license with your name on. Despite having zero funds when an account is opening, there are many options to take out loans, and you can be sure that an identity theft fraudster will take advantage of that. Additionally, they could use a bank account overdraft to rack up lots of purchases and never pay the money back. The high interest rate is sure to take a knock at your credit rating, and again, the bailiffs will be at your door. To prevent this from happening you can call the fraud departments of the three credit reporting agencies and place a fraud alert on your file. Then, anytime something new is opened in your name, you’ll get a call from the creditor to see if it’s legit.
