What is a data breach?

A data breach exposes the confidential information of its victims, which can include email addresses, Social Security numbers, account information, credit card numbers, passwords, and more. If your personal information has been compromised by a data breach or another exposure, take a deep breath, and follow these five steps to mitigate the damage.

Steps you should take after a data breach

Step 1: Read all alerts and notifications from the compromised company.

The business whose data has been compromised in the breach is required to reach out to all potential victims to notify them about the exposure. They may instruct all those who could have been impacted to check for signs that their information has been exposed and/or direct them toward their next step. If you believe your information may have been compromised in a breach, it’s important to pay attention to the message you receive from the exposed company and carefully review the senders information before clicking, responding, or providing any information.

Step 2: Alert your financial institution.

Next, let your financial institution know that your account may have been compromised. This way, we’ll know to keep an eye out for signs of fraud and place an alert on your account. At Jovia, we also recommend that you set up card management and account alerts.

Account alerts – Be notified of account activity without having to step into a branch or log into online and mobile banking. Choose to receive alerts via text, email, or push notifications for activities, from large withdrawal/deposit notifications to low and high balance alerts. Learn how to set up account alerts here.

Card management – With card management, you can set spending limits, block certain types of merchants and transactions, and even lock and unlock your card at any time. Learn more about card management here.

Step 3: Change any exposed passwords.

A data breach may mean your passwords have been compromised. It’s best to change them after a breach to keep information and money safe. The best practice for passwords is to use one that is unique, with a variation of capital letters, numbers, and special characters, and one that is not used repeatedly across multiple accounts. Additionally, enabling multi-factor authentication when and where you can is recommended.

Step 4: Keep an eye on your credit

It’s a good idea to check your credit accounts for suspicious activity on a regular basis. At Jovia, you can easily check your credit score in online and mobile banking. Jovia also offers a credit monitoring tool, Sontiq, where you can keep track of unusual activity that can impact your credit and be alerted for things that may indicate your personal information has been compromised. Learn more about how Sontiq can help protect your private personal information.

Step 5: File an identity theft report

If your accounts have been compromised and you believe your identity has been stolen, file an identity theft report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) immediately. This will assist the feds in tracking down the scammers responsible for the data breach. It will also help you return your finances to their usual state as quickly as possible.

Remember

Jovia will never reach out to you directly and ask you to provide personal and private information.