We are often asked by those who may have experienced a personal security breach, or may have been the victim of identity theft, what actions they should take. A good reference piece has been prepared by Charles Schwab, and we felt it useful in answering questions related to the steps to take after having been a victim of such a crime. The piece notes, "Time is of the essence, whether your personal data has been compromised as part of a larger cyberattack, or you are the victim of an individual cybercrime. You'll need to take immediate action to minimize the impacts." The piece provides steps that you should take and how to respond within the first 24-48 hours, as well as valuable suggestions, websites, phone numbers and email addresses to be utilized should you become a victim.
While we at Portfolio Advisors are not experts in this area, some of our staff members have been victims themselves and may be of assistance to you in helping answer questions that you may have.
To access the Charles Schwab piece please see linked article below.
How-to-Respond-to-a-Data-Breach.pdf