 TITLE: Experian Forecasts the Top 5 Data Breach Predictions for 2019 CONTENT: How to Protect Your Digital Identity\n------------------------------------\nProtecting your identity online should be a top priority in case you become a victim of a data breach identity theft. Here are some tips to help protect yourself:\n*   **Do not share** your personal information with strangers over the phone, email or even text messages. These type of requests could very well be scams.\n*   **Receive free credit report monitoring** by signing up to receive alerts about your credit activity. A breached company should send you a data breach notification. However, if unusual notices via email or in the mail arrive under a different name, that can be a sign that you are a victim of identity theft.\n*   **Get a free dark web scan** to see if your Social Security number, email or phone number has been compromised. Hackers will sell stolen information on the dark web and Experian offers a dark web scan that looks back to 2006 that includes thousands of sites and millions of data points.\n*   **Lock your credit** to prevent illegal activity or if you see any odd charges being made on your existing accounts. Both freezing and locking your credit file prevents potential lenders from accessing your credit file and is a preventative measure to protect against identity theft.\nYou can read the full complimentary report with a detailed analysis of the five predictions and what they mean for businesses and consumers here. END