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Is your Social Security number at risk? Signs someone might be stealing it

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Is your Social Security number at risk? Signs someone might be stealing it

With most of your life attached to these nine numbers, your Social Security number (SSN) is incredibly important to keep safe. That’s why it is crucial to pay attention to signs that your SSN may have been compromised. While preventing the misuse of your SSN is paramount, there are action steps you can take if it does fall into the wrong hands.

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There are steps you can take if your Social Security number falls into the wrong hands. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Top signs someone might be using your Social Security number

Are you concerned that your Social Security number may have gotten into the wrong hands? Check below to see if you are experiencing any of these signs:

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1) Changes to your credit report and score

Americans are granted free credit reports every 12 months from the three major consumer reporting companies. Regularly culling through these reports can help you spot potential fraud, which might signal that your Social Security number has been compromised. Any hard inquiries you didn’t request on your credit report are a strong indicator that someone tried to open a credit card or another line of credit with your SSN.

2) Changes to your Social Security statement

While most people know they should check their credit report and scores, you can see your Social Security statement by creating an account on the official Social Security Administration website. Because only one account can be created per SSN, it is safer if you claim it so that no one else can by piecing together your personal information (along with your SSN) to claim it fraudulently. Make sure it is connected to a secure email account that you check frequently. This account also provides up-to-date data on earnings and benefit distributions so you can see if anything is “off.”

You can see your Social Security statement by creating an account on the official Social Security Administration website. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

BEWARE OF THIS SOCIAL SECURITY SCAM BY CROOKS TRYING TO TRICK YOU

3) Strange or new mailings or calls from debt collectors and junk mailers

While it might seem natural to toss a pile of “junk” mailers or ignore calls from random debt collectors or advertisers, it may be an indicator that someone has gotten a hold of your Social Security number and has begun opening accounts under your number. It’s important to make note of the patterns and follow up with these collectors should it become more and more apparent that your SSN might have been misused. Oftentimes, consumers start getting more credit offers when new credit cards are opened. Additionally, if you start receiving bills under someone else’s name at your address, it might be time to follow up with these notices.

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4) New notices from the IRS or other governmental agencies

If you start receiving notices about your Social Security number being used to file someone else’s taxes or inappropriately use your health insurance, it is definitely a sign that someone may have compromised your SSN. While receiving a notice from the IRS or Medicare can feel scary, it is imperative that you reach out to the corresponding agency to notify them of the fraudulent activity so that you can stop further damage.

Beware of new notices from the IRS or other governmental agencies. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Top ways to keep your Social Security number safe

1) Sign up for a Social Security account

Go to the official Social Security Administration website to create an account, if you haven’t already.

2) Hide/keep safe your Social Security number card

Put your Social Security number card in a very safe place, such as a safe, bank safe or a filing cabinet that can be locked. Because it is used so frequently, those nine digits are worth memorizing. If your wallet is lost or stolen, and you keep your SSN card in there, it will be messier than losing just money or your ID. Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet or purse.

3) Go online

Skip jotting down your Social Security number on in-person forms. When your SSN is jotted down on paper, it is hard to control how the information gets used or disposed of. If you can submit forms online, you can skip the risk of having your SSN getting into the wrong hands. If you mail in forms that denote your SSN, you risk having that piece of mail stolen or lost.

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4) Opt out of inputting SSN

Even though your SSN is requested on some forms, it is not always necessary. If a future employer is requesting your SSN, double-check why they need it. They would most likely need it to run a background check, which you should know about anyway. Additionally, some establishments allow you to provide the last four digits of your SSN until you are finalizing a screening process, etc.

5) Combat child identity theft

Open accounts for your children’s Social Security numbers because you want to claim them for them early and be able to monitor any movement related to their SSN.

6) Secure documents

Some records that contain your Social Security number are important to keep on hand, such as income tax filings. If they are kept digitally, encrypt and or password-protect the document or folder, especially if it is uploaded to the cloud. Keep offline documents with SSNs in a safe or shred instead of throwing them away.

Remember you (usually) only get one SSN in a lifetime, it is important to safeguard that data with your “life.”

7) Remove your personal information from the internet

Removing your personal information from the internet, given the increasing privacy concerns about artificial intelligence, is essential. Data removal services can help protect your Social Security number by systematically erasing your details from websites, thus reducing the risk of identity theft. 

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While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

Check out my top picks for data removal services here.

8) IRS identity protection PIN (IP PIN)

To further protect your tax returns from identity theft, the IRS offers an identity protection PIN (IP PIN). This is a six-digit number that prevents someone else from filing a tax return using your Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number. The IP PIN is known only to you and the IRS, adding an extra layer of security to your tax filings.

How to get an IP PIN

  • Online request: The fastest way to receive an IP PIN is to request one through your online account on the IRS website. If you don’t already have an account, you must register to validate your identity.
  • Alternative methods: If you can’t establish an online account, there are other methods, but they take longer. You can file an application or request in-person authentication.

Using your IP PIN

  • Enter the six-digit IP PIN when prompted by your tax software or provide it to your trusted tax professional when filing your return.
  • An IP PIN must be used on all federal tax returns during the year, including prior year returns.
  • Do not reveal your IP PIN to anyone except your tax professional when you are ready to sign and submit your return.

Important information

  • An IP PIN is valid for one calendar year, and a new one is generated each year.
  • If you lose your IP PIN, you can retrieve it online or have it reissued by calling the IRS.

By using an IP PIN, you can significantly reduce the risk of tax-related identity theft and ensure that your tax returns are processed smoothly and securely.

9) Recognizing and reporting a Social Security scam

If there is a problem with a person’s SSN or record, Social Security will typically mail a letter. You can learn more about recognizing Social Security-related scams, including how to report a scam quickly and easily online to Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General, by reading more at www.ssa.gov/scams.

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Image of a lock on Social Security cards (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

What to do if you think your Social Security number has been compromised?

If you noticed any of the signs listed above that indicate that your Social Security number may have been compromised, below are action steps you can take:

1) Reach out to the Social Security Administration immediately: Call them at 1-800-772-1213 to put an electronic block on your SSN.

2) Contact the three main credit bureaus to freeze your credit: This will prevent anyone, including hackers, from wreaking havoc on your credit. Make sure to report any errors on your credit reports with the credit agencies as well.

3) File a report with the local authorities as well as the Federal Trade Commission.

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4) Submit a Social Security fraud report online or call the SSA’s Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271. They can help investigate any Social Security-related fraud.

5) Use an identity theft protection service: Identity theft companies can monitor personal information like your Social Security number, phone number and email address and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals. 

One of the best parts of using some services is that they might include identity theft insurance of up to $1 million to cover losses and legal fees and a white-glove fraud resolution team where a U.S.-based case manager helps you recover any lossesSee my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft.

HOW DATA BROKERS ARE FUELING ELDER FRAUD IN AMERICA

Kurt’s key takeaways

Because your Social Security number has such a significant impact on your life, it is important to pay attention to any signs that it has been compromised and misused. While it may feel overwhelming to see any of these signs that your SSN might be compromised, it’s important to know there are steps you can take to protect yourself moving forward. While paying regularly for fraud protection services may seem like an unnecessary expense when you’re not presently dealing with identity or credit issues, a fraud protection service subscription can help you focus on your present moment instead of worrying about what a criminal might do with your SSN. And if something does happen, you have people in your corner to help you through the process.

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What additional steps do you think government agencies should take to enhance the security of Social Security numbers? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

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Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.

Technology

Here’s your first look at Kratos in Amazon’s God of War show

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Here’s your first look at Kratos in Amazon’s God of War show

Amazon has slowly been teasing out casting details for its live-action adaptation of God of War, and now we have our first look at the show. It’s a single image but a notable one showing protagonist Kratos and his son Atreus. The characters are played by Ryan Hurst and Callum Vinson, respectively, and they look relatively close to their video game counterparts.

There aren’t a lot of other details about the show just yet, but this is Amazon’s official description:

The God of War series storyline follows father and son Kratos and Atreus as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.

That sounds a lot like the recent soft reboot of the franchise, which started with 2018’s God of War and continued through Ragnarök in 2022. For the Amazon series, Ronald D. Moore, best-known for his work on For All Mankind and Battlestar Galactica, will serve as showrunner. The rest of the cast includes: Mandy Patinkin (Odin), Ed Skrein (Baldur), Max Parker (Heimdall), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Thor), Teresa Palmer (Sif), Alastair Duncan (Mimir), Jeff Gulka (Sindri), and Danny Woodburn (Brok).

While production is underway on the God of War series, there’s no word on when it might start streaming.

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300,000 Chrome users hit by fake AI extensions

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300,000 Chrome users hit by fake AI extensions

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Your web browser may feel like a safe place, especially when you install helpful tools that promise to make your life easier. But security researchers have uncovered a dangerous campaign in which more than 300,000 people installed Chrome extensions pretending to be artificial intelligence (AI) assistants. Instead of helping, these fake tools secretly collect sensitive information like your emails, passwords and browsing activity.

They used familiar names like ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Assistant. If you use Chrome and have installed any AI-related extension, your personal information may already be exposed. Even worse, some of these malicious extensions are still available today, putting more people at risk without their knowing.

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More than 300,000 Chrome users installed fake AI extensions that secretly harvested sensitive data. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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What you need to know about fake AI extensions

Security researchers at browser security company LayerX discovered a large campaign involving 30 malicious Chrome extensions disguised as AI-powered assistants (via BleepingComputer). Together, these extensions were installed more than 300,000 times by unsuspecting users.

Some of the most popular extensions included names like AI Sidebar with 70,000 users, AI Assistant with 60,000 users, ChatGPT Translate with 30,000 users, and Google Gemini with 10,000 users. Another extension called Gemini AI Sidebar had 80,000 users before it was removed.

These extensions were distributed through the official Chrome Web Store, which made them appear legitimate and trustworthy. Even more concerning, researchers found that many of these extensions were connected to the same malicious server, showing they were part of a coordinated effort.

While some extensions have since been removed, others remain available. This means new users could still unknowingly install them and expose their personal data. Here’s the list of the affected extensions:

  • AI Assistant
  • Llama
  • Gemini AI Sidebar
  • AI Sidebar
  • ChatGPT Sidebar
  • Grok
  • Asking ChatGPT
  • ChatGBT
  • Chat Bot GPT
  • Grok Chatbot
  • Chat With Gemini
  • XAI
  • Google Gemini
  • Ask Gemini
  • AI Letter Generator
  • AI Message Generator
  • AI Translator
  • AI For Translation
  • AI Cover Letter Generator
  • AI Image Generator ChatGPT
  • Ai Wallpaper Generator
  • Ai Picture Generator
  • DeepSeek Download
  • AI Email Writer
  • Email Generator AI
  • DeepSeek Chat
  • ChatGPT Picture Generator
  • ChatGPT Translate
  • AI GPT
  • ChatGPT Translation
  • ChatGPT for Gmail

FAKE AI CHAT RESULTS ARE SPREADING DANGEROUS MAC MALWARE

These malicious tools were listed in the official Chrome Web Store, making them appear legitimate and trustworthy. (LayerX)

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How the fake AI Chrome extension attack works

These fake extensions pretend to offer helpful AI features, such as translating text, summarizing emails, or acting as an AI assistant. But behind the scenes, they quietly monitor what you are doing online.

Once installed, the extension gains permission to view and interact with the websites you visit. This allows it to read the contents of web pages, including login screens where you enter your username and password.

In some cases, the extensions specifically targeted Gmail. They could read your email messages directly from your browser, including emails you received and even drafts you were still writing. This means attackers could access private conversations, financial information and sensitive personal details.

The extensions then sent this information to servers controlled by the attackers. Because they loaded content remotely, the attackers could change their behavior at any time without needing to update the extension.

Some versions could also activate voice features through your browser. This could potentially capture spoken conversations near your device and send transcripts back to the attackers.

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If you installed one of these extensions, attackers may already have access to extremely sensitive information. This includes your email content, login credentials, browsing habits and possibly even voice recordings.

We reached out to Google for comment, and a spokesperson told CyberGuy that the company “can confirm that the extensions from this report have all been removed from the Google Web Store.”

BROWSER EXTENSION MALWARE INFECTED 8.8M USERS IN DARKSPECTRE ATTACK

Once installed, the extensions could read emails, capture passwords, monitor browsing activity and send the data to attacker-controlled servers. (Bildquelle/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

7 ways you can protect yourself from malicious Chrome extensions

If you have ever installed an AI-related Chrome extension, taking a few simple precautions now can help protect your accounts and prevent further damage.

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1) Remove any suspicious or unused browser extensions

On a Windows PC or Mac, open Chrome and type chrome://extensions into the address bar. Review every extension listed. If you see anything unfamiliar, especially AI assistants you don’t remember installing, click “Remove” immediately. Malicious extensions depend on going unnoticed. Removing them stops further data collection and cuts off the attacker’s access to your information.

2) Change your passwords

If you installed any suspicious extension, assume your passwords may be compromised. Start by changing your email password first, since email controls access to most other accounts. Then update passwords for banking, shopping and social media accounts. This prevents attackers from using stolen credentials to break into your accounts.

3) Use a password manager to create and protect strong passwords

A password manager generates unique, complex passwords for each account and stores them securely. This prevents attackers from accessing multiple accounts if one password is stolen. Password managers also alert you if your login credentials appear in known data breaches, helping you respond quickly and protect your identity. Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at Cyberguy.com.

4) Install strong antivirus software and keep it active

Good antivirus software can detect malicious browser extensions, spyware, and other hidden threats. It scans your system for suspicious activity and blocks harmful programs before they can steal your information. This adds an important layer of protection that works continuously in the background to keep your device safe. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

5) Use an identity theft protection service

Identity theft protection services monitor your personal data, including email addresses, financial accounts, and Social Security numbers, for signs of misuse. If criminals try to open accounts or commit fraud using your information, you receive alerts quickly. Early detection allows you to act fast and limit financial and personal damage. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com.

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6) Keep your browser and computer fully updated

Software updates fix security vulnerabilities that attackers exploit. Enable automatic updates for Chrome and your operating system so you always have the latest protections. These updates strengthen your defenses against malicious extensions and prevent attackers from taking advantage of known weaknesses.

7) Use a personal data removal service

Personal data removal services scan data broker websites that collect and sell your personal information. They help remove your data from these sites, reducing what attackers can find and use against you. Less exposed information means fewer opportunities for criminals to target you with scams, identity theft or phishing attacks.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

Kurt’s key takeaway

Even tools designed to make your life easier can become tools for cybercriminals. Malicious extensions often hide behind trusted names and convincing features, making them difficult to spot. You can significantly reduce your risk by reviewing your browser extensions regularly, removing anything suspicious and using protective tools like password managers and strong antivirus software.

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Have you checked your browser extensions recently? Let us know your thoughts by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Anthropic refuses Pentagon’s new terms, standing firm on lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance

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Anthropic refuses Pentagon’s new terms, standing firm on lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance

Less than 24 hours before the deadline in an ultimatum issued by the Pentagon, Anthropic has refused the Department of Defense’s demands for unrestricted access to its AI.

It’s the culmination of a dramatic exchange of public statements, social media posts, and behind-the-scenes negotiations, coming down to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s desire to renegotiate all AI labs’ current contracts with the military. But Anthropic, so far, has refused to back down from its two current red lines: no mass surveillance of Americans, and no lethal autonomous weapons (or weapons with license to kill targets with no human oversight whatsoever). OpenAI and xAI had reportedly already agreed to the new terms, while Anthropic’s refusal had led to CEO Dario Amodei being summoned to the White House this week for a meeting with Hegseth himself, in which the Secretary reportedly issued an ultimatum to the CEO to back down by the end of business day on Friday or else.

In a statement late Thursday, Amodei wrote, “I believe deeply in the existential importance of using AI to defend the United States and other democracies, and to defeat our autocratic adversaries. Anthropic has therefore worked proactively to deploy our models to the Department of War and the intelligence community.”

He added that the company has “never raised objections to particular military operations nor attempted to limit use of our technology in an ad hoc manner” but that in a “narrow set of cases, we believe AI can undermine, rather than defend, democratic values” — going on to specifically mention mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. (Amodei mentioned that “partial autonomous weapons … are vital to the defense of democracy” and that fully autonomous weapons may eventually “prove critical for our national defense,” but that “today, frontier AI systems are simply not reliable enough to power fully autonomous weapons.” He did not rule out Anthropic acquiescing to the military’s use of fully autonomous weapons in the future but mentioned that they were not ready now.)

The Pentagon had already reportedly asked major defense contractors to assess their dependence on Anthropic’s Claude, which could be seen as the first step to designating the company a “supply chain risk” – a public threat that the Pentagon had made recently (and a classification usually reserved for threats to national security). The Pentagon was also reportedly considering invoking the Defense Production Act to make Anthropic comply.

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Amodei wrote in his statement that the Pentagon’s “threats do not change our position: we cannot in good conscience accede to their request.” He also wrote that “should the Department choose to offboard Anthropic, we will work to enable a smooth transition to another provider, avoiding any disruption to ongoing military planning, operations, or other critical missions. Our models will be available on the expansive terms we have proposed for as long as required.”

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