How’s that New Year’s Resolution Coming?

Remember way back when—about a month ago!—when you were challenged with the ultimate New Year’s resolution?

It didn’t seem all that difficult at the time, and it was certainly easier than your co-worker’s goal of losing twenty pounds. But that challenge to protect your identity and secure your personal data might have been a little more than you bargained for, so it’s time to take stock.

1. How are your passwords coming along?

If you took the warning to heart and vowed to be more safety-minded about your online accounts, good for you! That’s one of the best behaviors you can adopt to hopefully prevent internet takeover. Using a strong, unique password is critical, and changing your password regularly on sensitive accounts can help thwart a lot of problems down the road.

If you didn’t get around to this step yet, it’s not too late. Stop right now and change three passwords: your primary email password, your preferred social media password, and your online banking password. Go ahead, we’ll wait right here. Just do yourself a favor and make sure you don’t use the same password on all three sites!

After those three accounts are secured, do this: every time you log into any account for the first time after today, click “forgot my password” instead of logging in. You’ll receive an email in a few seconds that contains a link to change it, and you’ll know you’ve created a new password for that account without having to hunt all over the internet for every website you use.

2. Are you monitoring your credit reports?

If you ordered copies of your credit report last month to kick off your privacy New Year’s, way to go! If you meant to do it but didn’t get around to it, STOP RIGHT THERE! According to the Federal Trade Commission, there is only one authorized source for free credit reports, and that’s AnnualCreditReport.com. You can reach them via their website or by calling 1-877-322-8228.

There’s something to remember about your credit reports, though. You’re entitled to one free copy every twelve months from Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, also known as the Big Three of credit reporting. So you could order just one this month, say, from Experian. In a few months, order one from Equifax. Finally, request one from TransUnion later on. This will give you an ongoing look at your credit report so you can stay on top of any shady activity.

By the way, a number of credit card companies have started providing your FICO score when you log into your account. It’s free, instant, and does not count as an inquiry into your credit report. However, it’s not comprehensive, it’s only your actual score. If your score isn’t where it should be—or where you think it is—then you certainly want to look at your credit report. If your score is fantastic, it still doesn’t mean you’re completely safe, but it is something you can look at every single time you pay your bill online. A dramatic change in your score could indicate something fishy.

3. Did you give that receptionist your Social Security number?

Hopefully, you didn’t ring in the New Year with a cold or other illness, but if you did, a trip to the doctor’s office may have been in order. Did you dutifully fill in your Social Security number on the form, or did you remember your privacy resolutions and leave it blank? It’s pretty daunting to refuse to hand it over, and can even get you a few weird looks from people who think you might be a little paranoid. But the truth is, intentional and accidental data breaches are a huge and costly problem, especially for medical facilities.

Any time you’re asked for your SSN, stop and ask yourself why this facility could possibly need it. Then, ask them the hard questions: who in your company will be able to access it? how will you keep it safe? how will I find out if you’ve had a data breach and someone has stolen my information?

Feeling a little bit silly for refusing to provide it is going to be a whole lot more pleasant than feeling silly when you receive a data breach notification letter in the mail. Your SSN and other sensitive information don’t belong in every single person’s hands, and honestly, some businesses don’t even know why they’re still requesting it in this current cybercrime climate.

If you fell a little short in your resolutions—whether the ones you made about your identity or your weight loss goals—there’s good news: 2019 has eleven more months to get it right! With a little bit of extra effort and adopting some good habits, you’ll be on track before you know it.