What Is Personally Identifiable Information?

Personally identifiable information (PII) is any data that can be used to identify a specific individual. This includes your Social Security number (SSN), address, date of birth, email addresses, and phone number. You use your PII to identify yourself to governments, banks, creditors, and other businesses.

Sensitive vs. Non-Sensitive PII

PII can be categorized as sensitive or non-sensitive. Non-sensitive information is public knowledge, such as your name, birthday, or gender. Sensitive PII includes data that could cause personal damage if compromised, such as your SSN, bank account numbers, and passwords.

How Do Identity Thieves Steal Your Information?

Identity thieves use various methods to steal your PII, including phishing, smishing, social engineering, and unsecure internet activity. They may also steal documents or mail containing sensitive information.

What Do Identity Thieves Do With Your Information?

Once identity thieves have your PII, they can commit fraud by impersonating you, stealing your money, and taking out credit in your name. They may use a mix of sensitive and non-sensitive information to carry out these fraudulent activities.

How to Keep Your PII Safe

While some aspects of safeguarding your PII are beyond your control, there are steps you can take to lower the risk of your information falling into the wrong hands:

• Password-protect your devices and change compromised passwords immediately.
• Shred documents and mail containing identifying information before disposal.
• Be aware of phishing attempts and avoid giving out information over the phone.
• Set social media accounts to private and be cautious about sharing personal information.
• Use a password manager to create strong, unique passwords for each site and application.
• Sign up for free credit monitoring to get real-time alerts to any changes in your credit report.

Keep Sensitive Information Private

Everyone generates and uses PII all the time. Keeping your PII out of the wrong hands involves limiting vulnerability and understanding what information is sensitive. Run a free dark web scan to see if any of your PII is being bought and sold by criminals.