Quiz: Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft

Money Scams & Fraud Getty Images Quiz: Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft

Test your fraud-prevention savvy

Christina Ianzito,

"SHOW_QUIZ_QUESTIONS", "payload": "", "target": "NEW_PAGE", "modal": "", "modalId": "", "url": "", "element": "", "accordion": "", "seeMore": "" } } Quiz: Protecting Yourself From Identity

Theft 0 100 0 [ { "question" : "True or false: It’s safer to pay bills with paper checks than online. ", "answers" : [ { "answer" : "True", "correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "False",

"correctAnswer" : true } ], "multiSelect" : false, "explanation" : "Online transactions are generally considered more secure than using paper checks, with mail theft a growing problem. Not

only do they often include personal information, criminals can “wash” the stolen checks and direct the money to themselves.", "hint" : "", "hintLink" : "", "questionImgCaption" : "",

"questionImgCredit" : ""}, { "question" : "What should you do if you get a call from your bank warning that there’s been unusual activity, and asking for information to verify your

identity?", "answers" : [ { "answer" : "Verify your identity with the caller.", "correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "Hang up: It’s a scam.", "correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "Hang

up and call your bank directly to find out if there’s a real issue with your account. ", "correctAnswer" : true }, { "answer" : "Ask the caller if you can speak with a manager to confirm

that the call is legit.", "correctAnswer" : false } ], "multiSelect" : false, "explanation" : "The caller could be an identity thief aiming to steal your account or personal information — or

it could be a legitimate call. To find out, call the bank directly (don’t use the number the caller used).", "hint" : "", "hintLink" : "", "questionImgCaption" : "", "questionImgCredit" :

""}, { "question" : "How often should you check your credit report?", "answers" : [ { "answer" : "Never, you’ll be notified if there’s something wrong.", "correctAnswer" : false }, {

"answer" : "Annually, at least", "correctAnswer" : true }, { "answer" : "Every five years", "correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "Every 10 years", "correctAnswer" : false } ],

"multiSelect" : false, "explanation" : "The federal Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) and other experts recommend checking your credit score with the three nationwide credit bureaus

— Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — at least once a year. Doing so is free. ", "hint" : "", "hintLink" : "", "questionImgCaption" : "", "questionImgCredit" : ""}, { "question" : "What is

two-factor authentication?", "answers" : [ { "answer" : "Requiring an extra layer of security, such as a onetime passcode, to log in to a password-protected account", "correctAnswer" : true

}, { "answer" : "Requiring an extra two-digit password, along with a regular password, to access an account", "correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "Requiring both a username and

hard-to-guess password to

access an account", "correctAnswer" : false } ], "multiSelect" : false, "explanation" : "Two-factor authentication makes your account more secure by requiring, for example, a onetime code

sent to your mobile phone, along with your password.", "hint" : "", "hintLink" : "", "questionImgCaption" : "", "questionImgCredit" : ""}, { "question" : "What is a warning sign that your

computer may be infected with malware?", "answers" : [ { "answer" : "It sends emails to your contacts that you didn’t write", "correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "It won’t shut down",

"correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "Its battery runs out more quickly than it used to", "correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "All of the above", "correctAnswer" : true } ],

"multiSelect" : false, "explanation" : "Malware, unwanted software that gets installed on your device, allows criminals to steal your information and often interferes with the computer’s

functioning.", "hint" : "", "hintLink" : "", "questionImgCaption" : "", "questionImgCredit" : ""}, { "question" : "Where does the federal government suggest you go for guidance if you’ve

been the victim of identity fraud?", "answers" : [ { "answer" : "The Federal Trade Commission ", "correctAnswer" : true }, { "answer" : "The Securities and Exchange Commission",

"correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau", "correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "The White House", "correctAnswer" : false } ], "multiSelect" :

false, "explanation" : "Start by reporting identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) online at IdentityTheft.gov or by phone at 1-877-438-4338.", "hint" : "", "hintLink" : "",

"questionImgCaption" : "", "questionImgCredit" : ""}, { "question" : "What is the minimum number of characters needed for a strong password, according to the FTC?", "answers" : [ { "answer"

: "6", "correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "9", "correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "12", "correctAnswer" : true }, { "answer" : "18", "correctAnswer" : false } ], "multiSelect" :

false, "explanation" : "The FTC says a strong password should have at least 12 characters, including a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. ", "hint" : "", "hintLink"

: "", "questionImgCaption" : "", "questionImgCredit" : ""}, { "question" : "About how many reports of identity theft did the FTC receive last year?", "answers" : [ { "answer" : "65,000",

"correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "533,000", "correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "818,000", "correctAnswer" : false }, { "answer" : "1.1 million", "correctAnswer" : true } ],

"multiSelect" : false, "explanation" : "There were more than 1.1 million reports of identity theft last year; about 442,000 were related to credit card fraud, according to the FTC.", "hint"

: "", "hintLink" : "", "questionImgCaption" : "", "questionImgCredit" : ""} ] Quiz Progress 0 Correct 0 Incorrect Caption for quiz image Credit for quiz image Submit { "type":

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​Christina Ianzito covers scams and fraud, and is the books editor for aarp.org and AARP The Magazine. Also a longtime travel writer and editor, she received a 2020 Lowell Thomas Award for

travel writing from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.​

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