How best to keep your personal data protected

Practical steps to safeguard your information in a year of record data breaches

Financial services |
Close up of man using laptop trackpad

In 2024, the Identity Theft Resource Center reported 3,158 cases of compromised data in the United States. The number of breach notices rose 211% from 2023, totaling more than 1.3 billion. The organization noted that five significantly large data breaches accounted for 83% of the victim notices. 

According to the HIPAA Journal, more than 1.7 billion individuals had their data compromised in 2024. Large data breaches at Change Healthcare, Advance Auto Parts Inc and Ticketmaster each involved more than 100 million records. Recently, in August, TransUnion confirmed a data breach affecting over 4 million people. In May of 2025, LexisNexis, a consumer data broker, identified a data breach affecting approximately 360,000 people. Trends of identity theft reports have 2025 looking to be another record-setting year. 

What is a person to do? How do we protect our data? 

It is important to understand that what we once thought of as private data – our Social Security Numbers or our dates of birth – aren’t as secure as we would like to think. We must take additional measures to protect ourselves and our data. Here are some steps you can take to be better prepared:

  • Regularly monitor your credit for any unauthorized loans or inquiries. You can request a copy of your credit report at annualcreditreport.com. 
  • Consider placing a credit freeze or fraud alert on your social security number with each of the credit bureaus.
  • In your Everence Federal Credit Union online banking or mobile app, you can sign up for Credit Score by SavvyMoney. This is similar to reviewing your credit reports annually, but you can easily access it through your online banking anytime. 
  • Use an identity theft protection service through companies such as LifeLock, Aura or Identity Guard. 
  • Shred any and all documents that contain personal information. 
  • Do not share your information freely. Consider the person making the request, especially if you did not initiate the point of contact. 
  • Report instances of identity theft to identitytheft.gov and/or your local police. Keeping good records will help you dispute any unauthorized activity. 

There are many resources to assist you in protection. Each of the three major credit bureaus provides recommendations, as well as several government resources. If you are a business owner, it is important to consider the identity of your business too! Businesses are not immune to identity theft.   

If you suspect your business has been targeted, the following are suggested steps to take by the Identity Theft Resource Center:

  1. Notify the IRS
  2. Alert payroll and human resources teams
  3. Contact federal and local authorities.

Your security is our top priority at EFCU. We take every step and precaution to ensure the information you’ve entrusted with us is safe. Plus, we offer webinars and other resources to help our members stay informed about fraud prevention. Please contact your nearest branch if you have any questions about a scam or think you have been impacted by one. 

 

Protect your financial information

Everence is here to help you stay informed and stay protected. Anyone can be affected by fraud, but taking simple preventive steps and acting quickly when something looks suspicious can strengthen your financial safety. Explore more resources on fraud prevention with us!