March 19, 2021
As cases of identity theft tick up across the nation, TriHealth wants to help you protect your identity in the digital age.
During tax time, your personal identification information will be mailed and e-filed without a second thought. While you should be vigilant year-round, over the next few months it will be especially important to take steps to protect your identity and reduce your risk of identity theft.
TriHealth’s Information Systems team has put together a list of tips and resources to help you secure your personal identification information.
Tips to Protect Your Identity
- Be wary of telephone calls and text messages, letters, websites, or emails that require you to provide your personal information or other sensitive information, especially birth dates and Social Security numbers.
- Be cautious with attachments and embedded links in emails, especially from an unknown email sender.
- Make yourself aware of methods fraudsters are using to obtain your personal identification information. For example, shred or carefully tear up mail before discarding.
- Look for any fraudulent activity on your bank accounts and your credit report. If you believe you are a victim of fraud or identity theft, immediately report unauthorized transactions to your financial institution or credit card provider.
- If you suspect you are a victim, immediately contact the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit records and notify the Internal Revenue Service by filing an Identity Theft Affidavit (IRS Form 14039) through irs.gov or identitytheft.gov.
Resources to Protect Your Identity
- Take advantage of these tips from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency:
-Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks
-Protecting Against Malicious Code
-Preventing and Responding to Identity Theft
- Check your credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com to see if you are a victim of identity theft.
- Check these Identity Theft tips from the Ohio Attorney General’s office.
Fraudulent Unemployment Claims and Identity Theft
Unemployment offices across the nation have recently reported data breaches that resulted in fraudulent unemployment claims and identity theft impacting many Americans.
While there is no indication that fraudulent claims stem from any breach of TriHealth’s data systems, TriHealth Corporate Security and the 1HR teams are aware that some TriHealth team members may be impacted.
If you believe you may have been a victim, the State of Ohio is asking victims of identity theft from unemployment fraud sourced through Ohio Job and Family Services to visit www.unemploymenthelp.ohio.gov. Please also contact the HR Service Center at TriHealthHRBC@TriHealth.com or 513 569 5950.
Excellent message, because don't forget that tax filing season begins February 12th.
Posted by: Rodney Sims on February 09, 2021
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