Recovering from identity crimes can be daunting and take a toll on your entire life, not just financially and emotionally. Once someone gains access to one of your accounts, they can work to manipulate your friends and relatives as well.

Today’s guest is Eva Velasquez. Eva is the President and CEO of The Identity Theft Resource Center. She previously served as the Vice President of Operation for the San Diego Better Business Bureau and for 21 years at the San Diego District Attorney’s Office. She is an author, public speaker, and a recognized expert who has been featured on CBS Mornings, NBC Nightly News, New York Times, NPR, and numerous other media outlets.

Show Notes:

• [1:02] - Eva describes her role as CEO and President of The Identity Theft Resource Center and what the organization does.

• [2:11] - Eva began her career in law enforcement and learned firsthand how dismissive we are of victims of identity crimes.

• [4:26] - The great majority of these crimes go completely uninvestigated.

• [5:48] - Your energy is best spent on recovering what you’ve lost rather than trying to convict the perpetrator.

• [8:03] - Identity theft isn’t the only identity crime.

• [9:47] - Most scams and data breaches at this time can be considered an identity crime.

• [11:06] - The majority of identity crimes that are reported at The Identity Theft Resource Center are caused by social engineering.

• [13:42] - If you see some unusual activity or communication on social media from someone you know, let the real person know.

• [16:17] - Chris shares a strategy for family passwords to verify their identity.

• [18:11] - There are several different types of identity fraud. A lot of it is credit cards, but it could be other types of loans or accounts.

• [19:54] - Identity fraud is complicated to solve.

• [21:00] - Eva shares the story of a victim who was car jacked and has had non-stop identity theft issues.

• [22:24] - People who are victims of identity theft may even have major problems in getting jobs.

• [23:42] - The number of victims who have felt suicidal after identity theft has increased year over year.

• [25:37] - The Identity Theft Resource Center is like AAA roadside assistance. Reach out to them.

• [28:00] - Eva shares that this is her life’s mission. She would love a world where The Identity Theft Resource Center wasn’t needed.

• [29:22] - Password management needs to be improved.

• [31:03] - Multi-factor authorization is absolutely necessary.

• [33:28] - If you ever get a call from someone claiming to be from your bank, hang up and actually contact your bank using the number on your card.

• [34:42] - We need to flip our view of “annoying” security measures.

• [41:57] - Safeguard access to all the accounts you have, even email accounts.

• [43:16] - It can take anywhere between a day and ten years to resolve identity fraud. It is very situational.

• [46:03] - It may also be possible for something to appear solved but then it is in remission. 

• [47:20] - There is no shame in asking for help. It is very complicated.

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. 

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