How To Protect a Family Member from Identity Theft

Limit what personal information is shared publicly

Fraudsters rarely need to hack anything — they piece together a convincing identity profile from scraps already public: a full birth date announced in a social media post, a mother's maiden name given away in a 'fun facts' quiz, or a home address visible on an old parcel label in the recycling. Walk through your relative's social media privacy settings together and switch birthdate, hometown, and family tags to friends-only. Encourage them to avoid posting holiday dates before they leave, since that signals an empty house. Shredding bank statements, medical letters, and pre-approved credit offers before binning them also matters, since old post and discarded documents remain a common source for identity thieves.

• Review privacy settings on all social media accounts together
• Avoid posting full birth dates, addresses, or phone numbers publicly
• Shred documents containing personal or financial details before disposal
• Check what is publicly visible on electoral roll and consider opting out of the edited register

Secure their accounts and devices

Even if a fraudster manages to learn a relative's date of birth or address, strong account security stops that information alone from being enough to break in. Help them set up a password manager so every account has a long, unique password instead of the same one reused everywhere — reused passwords are exactly what let one leaked account cascade into many others. Turn on two-factor authentication for email, banking, and any account that offers it, ideally using an authenticator app rather than text messages where possible. Make sure phones, tablets, and laptops lock automatically with a PIN, fingerprint, or face unlock, since an unlocked device sitting on a kitchen table is often the easiest way in.

• Use a unique, strong password for each important account — a password manager helps
• Enable two-factor authentication on email, banking, and shopping accounts
• Keep phone and computer software updated
• Set a PIN or passphrase lock on all devices

Monitor for warning signs

Identity theft is rarely caught the moment it happens — it is usually noticed because someone spots something that does not add up, so building a habit of regular checking is one of the most valuable things a family can do. Set up transaction alerts on your relative's bank and card accounts so a text or email arrives for anything above a small amount, and get into the habit of glancing through statements together once a month. Pulling a free credit report once or twice a year can reveal accounts opened in their name that never show up on a bank statement, and unexpected mail — a bill for something never bought, or a rejection letter for credit never applied for — is often the first real clue.

• Review bank and credit card statements monthly
• Check their credit report periodically for unfamiliar accounts or searches
• Watch for unexpected mail about credit products they did not apply for
• Be alert to bills or debt letters for accounts they do not recognise

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Frequently asked questions

Sources

• IdentityTheft.gov — Report and Recover from Identity Theft
• FTC — Identity Theft
• IRS — Identity Theft Central
• CISA — Identity Theft and Personal Cyber Threats