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Protecting Your Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

At O1ne Mortgage, we understand the importance of safeguarding your personal information. In this article, we will explore what personally identifiable information (PII) is, the difference between sensitive and non-sensitive PII, how identity thieves steal your information, what they do with it, and how you can keep your PII safe.

What Is Personally Identifiable Information?

Personally identifiable information (PII) includes data that can distinguish you from others, such as your Social Security number (SSN), address, date of birth, email addresses, and phone number. This information is used to identify you to governments, banks, creditors, and other businesses. Unfortunately, if this information falls into the wrong hands, it can be used to impersonate you and cause significant damage to your finances, credit, and reputation.

Sensitive vs. Non-Sensitive PII

PII can be categorized as sensitive or non-sensitive. Non-sensitive PII includes information that is public knowledge, such as your name, birthday, or gender. Sensitive PII, on the other hand, includes data that could result in personal damage if compromised, such as your SSN, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, passwords, and biometric information. Even non-sensitive information can be combined with sensitive data to commit identity theft and fraud.

How Do Identity Thieves Steal Your Information?

Identity thieves use various methods to steal your information, including:

• Phishing: Fraudsters trick you into exposing your sensitive information through fake websites or scam calls.
• Smishing: Similar to phishing, but uses text messages to deceive you into providing sensitive information.
• Social Engineering: Thieves manipulate you into giving up information by posing as trusted individuals or entities.
• Unsecure Internet Activity: Hackers intercept data transmitted over unsecured Wi-Fi networks.
• Document or Mail Theft: Thieves sift through mail or trash to find documents containing sensitive information.

What Do Identity Thieves Do With Your Information?

Once identity thieves have your PII, they can use it to commit various types of fraud, such as opening new credit accounts, withdrawing funds from your bank account, or filing tax returns in your name. They may use a single piece of information or a combination of sensitive and non-sensitive data to impersonate you.

How to Keep Your PII Safe

While some aspects of data protection are beyond your control, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of your PII falling into the wrong hands:

• Password-protect your devices and change compromised passwords immediately.
• Shred documents containing identifying information before disposal.
• Be cautious of phishing attempts and avoid giving out information over the phone.
• Set social media accounts to private and be mindful of the information you share.
• Use a password manager to create strong, unique passwords for each account.
• Sign up for free credit monitoring to receive alerts about changes to your credit report.

Keep Sensitive Information Private

Everyone generates and uses PII regularly, from browsing the internet to receiving tax documents. Protecting your PII involves understanding what information is sensitive and taking steps to limit your vulnerability. For additional peace of mind, consider running a free dark web scan to check if any of your PII is being traded by criminals.

For any mortgage-related needs, feel free to call O1ne Mortgage at 213-732-3074. We are here to help you with confidence and expertise.

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