Sari, 34, works in HR and considers herself cautious online. She doesn’t click on spammy links, she keeps her social media private, and she even uses two-factor authentication.
One day, she got an email from her bank:
“Your application for a personal loan has been received. Please confirm your details.”
She hadn’t applied for any loan.
Within an hour, she received two more:
- One from a crypto platform about a new account setup
- Another from a phone company about a contract activation
She panicked. She contacted her bank, who confirmed that someone had submitted a loan request using her full name, address, and ID number.
She had no idea how they got it. Possibly from an old breach — maybe even years ago.
The Damage Spread Fast
In just two days, the scammer:
- Registered a prepaid phone number
- Tried to open two online bank accounts
- Accessed an old social media account Sari hadn’t used in years
She spent weeks calling companies, verifying her identity, freezing her credit, and monitoring every login notification.
“It felt like someone was walking around wearing my skin.”
The Fix: Identity Theft Protection
Sari signed up for an identity theft monitoring service. Within a day, it alerted her:
“Your email and password were found in a recent data breach.”
The service helped her:
- Freeze her credit with all three bureaus
- Automatically monitor her personal info on the dark web
- Get alerts if any new accounts or name matches appeared
It also gave her peace of mind — because now, she had someone watching her back 24/7.
Protect Yourself Before It Happens
You don’t know when or how your data will be used against you. But services like Aura, LifeLock, or IdentityForce can catch the signs before it’s too late.
The best time to protect your identity was yesterday. The second-best time is right now.