Identity thieves can find your private information on the Dark Web. Here’s how to protect yourself

Can your social security number or other valuable information be found on the dark web? If so, cybercriminals can easily gain access to it to conduct personalized phishing attacks – or worse, steal your identity.

You’re probably not going to jump on the dark web and check it out for yourself. The dark web, also called darknet, is the part of the internet that you cannot find via conventional search engines. To get there you need a so-called anonymizing browser and a specialized search engine.

“It’s very scary there,” says Rajiv Kohli, professor of business administration Willem & Maria. Kohli specializes in cybersecurity research and the dark web – and yes, he has been involved.

Signing up for an identity theft protection service is one of the best ways to find out if your sensitive data is on the dark web. It is not waterproof. After data breaches, massive amounts of information are added to the dark web, which can make it difficult for services to keep up.

The truth is, you can never be sure if your private information is in the hands of cybercriminals. There are some giveaways that your personal information may be available to identity thieves.

Aura can let you know if your data is on the dark web

Is my personal information on the dark web?

So how do you know if your personal information is on the dark web? There are several signs you’ll want to look out for.

Random emails, texts and phone calls

Everyone gets these, and they are not automatically a sign that your information is on the dark web. Yet it is a possibility. Kohil says that if you’re receiving a lot of unwanted emails, calls, and texts, “it’s probably because someone bought a list to run some form of financial scam, and your information was on it.”

Unknown purchases on your credit card

Your Spidey senses should start tingling if this happens to you. “Even if they are small, it could be because someone bought your credit card number from a list of hundreds of credit card accounts being sold on the dark web for as little as five cents each,” says Kohil. Normally, your bank will send you a new card after suspicious purchases have been identified or reported.

You no longer have access to your bank account

It’s one thing if you’ve forgotten your password and guessed it too many times from the comfort of your couch. If not and you find yourself locked out, someone else may have tried to log into your account too many times.

Strange health insurance claims

If you receive medical bills for procedures you never had, contact your healthcare provider or insurer immediately. If medical claims that should have been accepted are denied due to benefits being taken, that can also be an ominous sign. Medical identity theft is a real problem, although it is rare (less than 1% of identity thefts are medical, according to the most recent Bureau of Justice Statistics).

Unauthorized login or password changes

If you have just changed your banking password, you will receive a notification. If you get a notification that your banking password has been changed and you know you haven’t, that’s a big red flag. The same applies to any emails you receive regarding unrecognized login activity with your account.

How this can lead to identity theft

If your personal information, such as your name, phone number, or email address, is on the dark web, you are more vulnerable to identity theft and online scams. If a cybercriminal has some of your personal information, he will have an easier time creating a credible scam than if he approaches a complete stranger.

Typically, identity thieves find passwords and login credentials on the dark web. There are many dark websites with lists of usernames, email addresses, and matching passwords for different sites. Cybercriminals use this for credential stuffing, where they try your password from one site on a number of other sites, said Andrew Wolfe, director of the cybersecurity program at Loyola University New Orleans.

It’s less common for your credit card or government identification information to be openly published on the dark web, he said. If your driver’s license is stolen, that information likely won’t be openly available on the dark web for your regular identity thief to see.

Don’t exhale yet. Your stolen driver’s license or Social Security number likely won’t be openly available on the dark web because it is more valuable, Wolfe said. “Cybercriminals will offer these for sale on sales sites on the dark web.”

At the same time, you probably don’t want to be too scared when you think about the dark web. Not all information on the dark web is too useful for bad actors.

“We generally worry that extremely sensitive information has been exposed and that cybercriminals intend to use your specific information to destroy your life. This is overblown,” Wolfe said. “The dark web contains a lot of data, like your 2013 password for a yoga message board. Which is to say, most of it is trivial.”

What can you do if your personal information is on the dark web?

If you discover that your personal information is on the dark web, there’s not much you can do. It is available and may have been sold several times. Still, there are preventative measures you can take to minimize the consequences.

Sign up for identity theft monitoring

With data breaches becoming more common, it’s difficult to prevent your information from ending up in the wrong hands. You can keep an eye on your data with an identity theft monitoring service.

“It’s extremely valuable to have some sort of dark web monitoring service,” Wolfe said. “Many banks, credit unions and other financial services providers offer these.”

For example, Chase credit journey And CreditWise from Capital One offer dark web surveillance completely free. This also applies to the credit bureau Experian. These free services lack the digital security tools and advanced monitoring and recovery services that many paid services provide.

Aura can let you know if your data is on the dark web

Paid services like Aura and Lifelock offer more comprehensive coverage and typically range from $7 to $15 per month for individual accounts.

If your identity theft protection service tells you that an account has been compromised, Wolfe suggests closing the account or at least changing your password.

Freeze your credit

You can freeze your credit so that no one can open loans, credit cards, and other credit-based accounts in your name. It also prevents you from opening a new account unless you release your funds temporarily or permanently.

Freezing credits always sounds good in theory, but managing it can be a time-consuming job. If your information is on the dark web and freezing your credit will give you peace of mind, you can do it online at the websites of each of the credit bureaus.

A credit freeze is also not a complete solution to identity theft. For example, if you freeze your credit, they can’t take out another loan, but if they already have your current credit card number, they can still do unauthorized shopping. Because banks do not always perform a credit check when you open a new bank account, someone can still open a checking or savings account in your name.

Change your passwords regularly

The best passwords are complicated. “Any password you can easily remember is something a cybercriminal can easily guess.” Wolfe said.

He adds that “with such hard passwords, no one can remember more than a handful and use them reliably. But no realistic person expects that of you. In fact, everyone needs a password manager.”

He also cautions about answering your password recovery questions correctly. Hackers likely know your former street, teacher and pet names, Wolfe said. So you want to answer these questions differently to prevent anyone other than you from logging in.

Check your bank statements

It may seem like a routine solution, but reviewing your bank statements every month can keep an eye on potential red flags, said Robin Chataut, an assistant professor of cybersecurity and computer science at Quinnipiac University.

“Regular review of your financial statements and credit reports can help you detect unauthorized activity early,” he says.

Look for any fees you don’t recognize, or even deposits that don’t come from sources you know.

How to report identity theft or fraud

If a data breach results in fraud or identity theft, contact the credit card company, bank or lender and the three major credit bureaus.

If you signed up for Identity Theft Protection with White Glove Service Recovery, the company should also assist you with these steps and help you fight any wrongful charges. You will also want to notify the Federal Trade Commission.

“If identity theft is suspected, it is important to report it to the relevant authorities, such as the Federal Trade Commission in the US, to not only protect yourself, but also to help prevent further occurrences,” Chataut said.

To report a case of fraud or identity theft to the FTC, visit Identitytheft.gov or call 1-877-438-4338.