 TITLE: What Is Account Takeover Fraud and How Can You Prevent It? CONTENT: What Do Fraudsters Do With Stolen Accounts?\n-------------------------------------------\nOnce they gain access to your account, criminals may do any number of things to cause trouble. They may, for example:\n*   Order a new card from your credit card company and use it to make purchases.\n*   Buy a new smartphone from your mobile phone carrier.\n*   Access and redeem your account credits or rewards points for their own benefit.\n*   Make a payment to a fraudulent company from your bank account.\n*   Open a new bank account in your name.\n*   Place orders on a shopping or restaurant delivery site.\n*   Redirect unemployment benefits.\n*   Access and steal personally identifiable information.\n*   Change account information, including your phone number, email, home address or login and passwords.\n*   Use the information they obtain to access other accounts.\n*   Sell the account information on the dark web.\nFor all the problems account takeover can create, it can be difficult to detect. Often, criminals take the extra step of changing your account preferences so you don't receive notifications that might otherwise tip you off that something is amiss. Play defense: Pay attention to password change notifications and other account alerts as they come in before fraudsters have the chance to disable them. If you're notified of activity you don't recognize, look into it right away. END