Hackers target your email and social media accounts to steal your personal information. Like your username and password, bank or credit card account numbers, or Social Security number. If they get it, they use it to commit identity theft, spread malware, or scam other people. So, what are signs that someone hacked your account, and how can you recover a stolen account?
Here are some things that might tip you off to a problem:

• You get a notification that your email address or phone number changed. Or that your password was reset. But you didn’t make those changes.
• You get a message that someone tried to log in, or did log in, and it wasn’t you.
• You can’t log in to your account.

If you can’t log in to your account, follow the provider’s account recovery instructions. If you get a notification about activity you don’t recognize, and you can log in, here’s what to do:
Change your account password. Create a unique and strong password that is hard to guess. Aim for 12 to 15 characters. Or use a passphrase — a series of words separated by spaces. Then sign out of that account on all devices. That way anyone who’s logged in to your account on another device will get kicked out.
Secure your account. If the account offers two-factor authentication (2FA), turn it on to add an extra layer of security. That way, a hacker with your password can’t log in to your account without a second authentication factor. Like a verification code you get by text or email, or from an authenticator app.
Update your account recovery information. Account recovery information helps you get back into your account if you're locked out, forgot your password, or if someone else is using it. Check your account recovery information and make sure the email address and phone number listed are correct.
Check for signs that someone had access to your account. Check if there are auto-forwarding rules in your email account that you didn’t set up. Hackers might create these rules to forward your emails to another address. Check your social media for messages the hacker posted or sent, or for new friends you don’t recognize.
If you believe someone stole your personal information, go to IdentityTheft.gov to report it and get a personalized recovery plan.

​During the holiday season, you might expect to get more deliveries. Some might even be surprise gifts. Scammers are counting on that when they send fake delivery notifications to you by email and text, hoping you’ll click. Here’s how to spot these scams.
You get an email or text and it says you missed the delivery. Or it might say your item can’t be delivered because you need to update your street address or zip code. Sometimes these scammers create a sense of urgency by saying if you don’t respond right away, they'll return your package to the sender. The scammers say both of these issues can easily be fixed: just click on a link.
Why do they want you to click that link? It’s a phishing scam. If you click, scammers could get information like your usernames and passwords for your online banking, email, or social media accounts. Scammers could then use those to steal your identity and open new accounts in your name. They might also install malware on your computer.
To avoid fake shipping notification scams:

• Don’t click on links in messages about an unexpected delivery.  If you get a message about an unexpected package delivery that tells you to click on a link for some reason, don’t click.
• Contact the shipping company directly to get more information. If you think the message might be legitimate, contact the shipping company using a phone number or website you know is real. Don’t use the information in the message.
• Check your order status. If you think the message could be about something you recently ordered, go to the site where you bought the item and look up the shipping and delivery status there.

No matter the time of year, it always pays to protect your personal information. Check out these resources to help you weed out spam text messages, phishing emails, and unwanted calls.

No one likes waiting in airport security lines. To speed things up, some people opt to get TSA PreCheck. Scammers know this and send emails that look like they're from TSA PreCheck — but they’re not. The emails want you to click a link that takes you to a scam website that only looks like the official site — but it’s not. If you pay to “enroll” or “renew” your TSA PreCheck, you may not even realize you’ve paid a scammer until you get to the airport for your next trip. But there are ways to spot these scams.
If you’re applying for TSA PreCheck for the first time, you don’t pay the application fee online. To get PreCheck, you complete the application and pay in person at a TSA enrollment center. Again: you don’t pay online. Only a scammer will ask you to pay online to enroll.
If you already have TSA PreCheck, you can renew and pay in person or take care of both online. The real TSA even sends renewal reminder emails out. But to avoid a scam, start your renewal at tsa.gov/precheck instead of clicking a link. A scammer’s link will take you to a scam site that looks real, but if you pay and give your information, the scammer will steal it.
To avoid scammers impersonating TSA PreCheck:

• Don't click links in unexpected emails or text messages, no matter how real they look.
• Don’t be rushed. If someone insists that you to pay right away, chances are that’s a scammer.
• Start at tsa.gov/precheck. Typing in that URL yourself is the best way to avoid the scam. And remember that all TSA PreCheck sites are .gov sites, not a .com.

Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov if you think you spotted this scam. And learn how to recognize phishing scams to keep scammers from stealing your money or identity.

With the holiday season approaching, you might be looking for extra funds to cover things like gifts and trips. But if you’re planning to borrow the money, make sure a payday loan isn’t your first — or only — choice. Sure, you might get the money fast, but the added fees and interest could make the payback really slow — or nearly impossible.
Payday loans offer quick cash for a fee to borrow the money for a short time. You walk out with the money you needed and a plan to pay it back in a few weeks. Easy, right? Not exactly.
The cost of taking out a payday loan racks up fast. The fees and interest alone could be in the triple digits. And if you can’t pay the loan back right away (which happens often), you might need to do a rollover — or pay extra fees to extend the loan. In the end, you’ll still owe the original loan amount and fees plus the new ones, too.
Before you get a payday loan, ask yourself: Are there any less expensive (and less risky) options to get the money? Maybe you ask for more time to pay your bills or see if you can borrow it from family or friends. Credit unions typically offer loans with lower interest rates than banks or other lenders. Check to see if a personal loan or “payday alternative loan” is a better choice. No matter what choice you make, make sure you know the real cost of any loan before you sign, and learn more about payday lending.
If you think a payday lender has been dishonest, report it to your state attorney general and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. 

People are reporting getting calls (and calls) (and more calls) about their supposed “loan application.” Only they hadn’t applied for a loan. So what’s going on?
When people don’t pick up, the callers leave messages saying the imaginary “loan application” is on hold because the business needs more information, so please call back. The calls seem urgent — and they’re persistent. People report getting calls in bursts of anywhere from five to even 20 a day, all from different numbers, all with the same story. But there never was a loan application. It’s a tactic that some dishonest companies are using to offer loans.
If you get a call like this:

• Don’t press a number to “unsubscribe.” That only lets the dishonest company know your number is good. Instead, just hang up.
• Use call blocking to stop calls before they reach you. Learn how at How to Block Unwanted Calls. For your mobile phone, find a list of call-blocking apps at ctia.org, a website for the U.S. wireless communications industry.
• Don’t give information to businesses you don’t know, even if they seem to know you. That could be a set up to get your personal information.
• Register your cell and home phone for free at the National Do Not Call Registry. Registration never expires and is designed to stop unwanted sales calls from companies that follow the law. But it doesn’t block calls and won’t stop calls from scammers — though the scam calls are a lot easier to spot if scammers are the main ones left calling to sell you something.

If you’ve gotten calls like these, report unwanted calls at DoNotCall.gov.