Get Your Details Off Data Broker Lists: What Works in 2026
Scammers quote your address and phone because data brokers sell them. California's free DROP tool now works; what it covers and what other states can do.
FIELD NOTES
Category: <span>Identity & Access</span>
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After a Death: Stop Identity Theft in a Relative’s Name
Thieves can use a deceased person's identity while a family is grieving. Which notices stop that, who can send them and what to leave out of the obituary.
How to Freeze a Child’s Credit Before Someone Uses Their Number
A child's Social Security number can sit misused for years. How a parent freezes credit under 16 at all three bureaus, what to mail, and when it can be lifted.
Create Your my Social Security Account Before Someone Else Does
An online Social Security account you never opened is one a thief can open. Why SSA says to claim it, how sign-in works now, and when to block access instead.
Year-End Cleanup: Close or Lock Accounts You No Longer Use
Old email, shopping and social accounts can be taken over and used to impersonate you. Find them, choose keep, lock or close, and back up data before deleting.
Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN Before the Mid-November Pause
An IRS IP PIN blocks anyone else from filing a return with your Social Security number. Who can get one, how, and why to request it before mid-November.
Password Manager Cleanup: Fix Reused Passwords in 20 Minutes
Use the checkup built into Chrome, iPhone or Edge to find reused, weak and leaked passwords, then fix the important ones first in a timed 20-minute plan.
Before You Post Holiday Travel Plans: A Privacy Pass
Share the trip without announcing an empty house. A privacy pass for photos, location tags, audience settings and out-of-office replies before you leave.
Microsoft Account Security Alert: How to Tell If It Is Real
An email says there was an unusual sign-in to your Microsoft account. Check it without clicking: the real sender, the Recent activity page, and what to do next.
Got a Data-Breach Letter? A 30-Minute Lock-Down Plan
A breach notice says your data was exposed. This 30-minute plan sorts the steps by what was taken, and warns about the phishing that follows breach news.