LOUISVILLE, Ky. — According to the Department of Justice, more than 23 million people in 2021 were victims of identity theft.

From opening a credit card to using your information to take out a loan, identity theft can take many forms.

Identity theft is when someone steals your personal information, like your social security number, and then uses it to create a new account, make a purchase or commit fraud. Most commonly, it happens over a spam email or text.

Clicking a spam link and typing in personal information can lead to danger.

Another avenue for scams is through the mail.

Whitney Adkins, director of communications and outreach for the Better Business Bureau in Louisville, says to destroy documents that can lead to identity theft.

“They can pull statements, they can pull medical information. So any personal information that you have on a bill or a document that you don’t need anymore, but you don’t want to get in the hands of someone else, make sure that you’re shredding that,” said Adkins. 

The BBB in Louisville will hold a free shredding event in September.

If identity theft happens to you, Adkins advises you to remain calm.

“The next step is to report that to the appropriate sources. You’re going to want to alert the three credit bureaus, the three credit monitoring bureaus. They may put a freeze or hold on your credit so no one can open any new accounts in your name. And you can also set up alerts to monitor so that down the road you can continue to monitor to see any suspicious activity. Notify your bank as well,” said Adkins. 

If you are a victim, she says also important to change your login information as soon as possible.

And whether or not your identity has been stolen, the BBB says to regularly check your bank accounts and credit reports.

Another tip is to keep your passwords updated.

The BBB says to change passwords regularly to avoid hackers and identity theft.