Important: The National Public Data breach exposed personal information, including names, addresses, and social security numbers. Learn how to protect yourself and how Microsoft Defender is helping to prevent fraud. See: National Public Data breach: What you need to know.
Protecting yourself from identity theft online
Tips and advice for being safer from identity thieves
What to do if your Social Security number is exposed
Your Social Security number (SSN) is key to your identity, if identity thieves get ahold of it, you'll want to act quickly.
What is the dark web?
The dark web is a part of the internet that is intentionally hidden.
What is dark web monitoring?
Dark web monitoring can help notify you of breaches that involve your email, passwords, name, date of birth, phone number(s), social security number, and more.
What is credit monitoring?
Credit monitoring tracks your credit file for new events (like new accounts) and notifies you to help guard against identity theft and fraud.
Your credit or debit card has been compromised, now what?
Learn what to do to protect yourself if your credit or debit card information falls into the wrong hands.
Placing a credit freeze
A credit freeze can make it hard for thieves to open fraudulent accounts in your name.
What to do if your email address is leaked
Your email address may be widely known, but that doesn't mean it's harmless in the hands of data thieves or scammers.
Why does my info appear in a breach of a site I never used?
It can be unsettling to see your info listed in a breach for an unfamiliar site, but the explanation may be simple.
What is an "Unknown" breach?
If your personal data is found to be leaked, but the source isn't easily identifiable, we classify that as an "Unknown" breach.
The dangers of oversharing
It can be enjoyable to share our experiences with friends & family. But we could be sharing more than we intended, or with a larger audience than expected.
Microsoft Defender can help monitor your personal information and alert you if any is found to be in the hands of identity thieves. For more information see Getting started with identity theft monitoring in Microsoft Defender.
