What Can Someone Do With Your Account and User Credentials?

At the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), we consider the following pieces of personal information accounts and user credentials:

• Account number
• Username
• Password
• Security questions
• Personal identification number (PIN)
• Security code
• One-time password (OTP)

The most common things that can happen with your account and user credentials are an identity thief can access your existing accounts and:

• Change the credentials so you can no longer get into your account.
• Take whatever you have in your account.
• Trick others into believing you are running your account and scam others out of their personal information, finances, or goods and services.

The easiest way is not to share your information unless it is needed. In this instance, nobody will need your account or user credentials.

• Do:
  • Have unique credentials for each account that you own. This includes each credential listed – do not reuse usernames or passwords, and try to pick different security questions or different sets of security questions for each account.
  • Use a secure method to store your credentials.

• Do Not:
  • Share your credentials with anyone. If you have a trusted individual who needs to be a user on your account, most accounts allow that trusted individual to share your account with their own credentials once you give permission.