Many of you wanted to know what to do if you were a victim of identity theft. This week, Steve returned to discuss what you should be doing if you find that your identity has been stolen. Here are several of the topics that Steve and I covered.

– The importance of filing a police report

– Initiate a credit freeze

– How to correct your credit report

– How to deal with debt collectors

– What you should be doing about your passwords

In case you missed the interview, you can hear the complete program by clicking on the blogtalkradio logo below.

1. If you have been hacked, change your password immediately. Don’t use simple passwords such as birthdays, phone numbers or family names. Use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.

2, Change your password frequently; monthly, if you are using AOL

3. Do not use the same password for your e-mail program, online banking, or shopping sites like Amazon, Ebay, etc.

4. When accessing the Internet on the road, be sure that the wi-fi location is secured. Places like hotels, parks, and coffee shops like Starbucks, are not secured since everyone has access to their networks. You do not want to enter passwords, credit card info, or other personal information in a non-secured area, since you are using a public access point.

5. If you are using a Windows computer, make sure you have installed both an anti-virus and malware program and that they have been updated.

If you any questions about “hacking” or other maintenance issues, feel free to contact me either by phone at 917 921-4518 or by e-mail at jblue@bluetutor.com/bluetutorold.