 TITLE: Survey: The Impact of COVID-19 on Fraud and Identity Theft CONTENT: Tips for Helping You Protect Against COVID-19 Related Fraud\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nWhile fraudsters are trying their best to take advantage of this tough period, there are many ways you can protect yourself to help make sure you don't fall victim to fraud during challenging times.\n*   **Be extra vigilant when receiving emails, calls or letters.** First, make sure to be extra vigilant of anyone asking for personal information in the coming months and avoid clicking on any suspicious links or attachments. Be careful when receiving emails, calls or letters that appear to be official notices, and always make sure to do research before engaging with anyone asking for your personal information.\n*   **Beware of IRS-related scams.** The IRS explicitly says it will not call you demanding immediate payment, and any in-person visitors will present multiple forms of identification so you can verify they are truly with the IRS. In the coming months, look out for calls, emails and letters purporting to be from the IRS; if any personal information is requested, think twice before handing it over.\n*   **Be extra cautious of online shopping.** If you're shopping online, always take steps to make sure you trust the website before you enter any personal information into a form. You can double-check domain names to make sure they are legitimate, and consider only entering personal data into sites you are already familiar with.\n*   **Check your credit reports often.** Checking your credit reports often will help you notice if any fraudulent accounts are opened in your name. If you see anything listed in your reports that shouldn't be there, file a dispute with one or all of the three main credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) and contact the creditor listed to close the account as soon as possible.\n*   **Consider enrolling in an identity theft protection service.** Enrolling in an identity monitoring service can help protect you against the damaging impact of someone opening fraudulent accounts in your name. These services will help you detect fraud early on, and can help you kickstart the process of protecting your credit and finances from any theft.\nIf you want to stay on top of what's in your credit reports, you can get a free credit monitoring account from Experian so you can check your reports and scores every 30 days. If you're interested in identity theft protection, check out Experian's Identity Theft Protection service, and you can also get a free dark web scan to see if any of your private information is already exposed on the web. END