As many as 143 million Americans may have been affected by Equifax’s major data breach earlier this year, though the company has yet to divulge specifics about the individuals who were impacted. Since no one can say with certainty who was or was not affected, any individual with credit would be wise to take protective measures for their identity and funds. Many experts would suggest your freeze your credit, but this may not be the most impactful strategy. While freezing your credit is never a bad idea in these situations, doing so only protects you from new accounts being opened in your name, which is one of the least common forms of identity theft.

Many individuals are now deeply worried about falling victim to identity theft, but there are many ways to safeguard yourself against fraudulent behavior that may be more effective than freezing your credit:

• Monitor current accounts as often as possible
  To be safe, bank accounts should be monitored daily to ensure all posted charges were made by you or whoever else uses the account. In today’s technological world, most financial institutions have an app for accessing basic account information, so checking your accounts can be as easy as a quick log on from your phone. If you notice suspicious activity, you will be able to quickly notify your bank and hopefully avoid racking up additional fraudulent charges.
• File taxes early
  An increasingly common form of fraudulent behavior is filing for taxes under someone else’s SSN. While organizing your tax information quickly and filing as early as possible is always advised since it could lead to faster refunds if you are owed one, doing so will also significantly lower the chances that someone will file in your name.
• Use two-step verification and secure passwords
  Most identity theft occurs on existing accounts, so taking extra steps to secure your account and login information could deter hackers and safeguard your personal data.
• Choose ID-verification questions and answers carefully
  Questions like “Where were you born?” or “What was your high school mascot?” could be easily discovered by checking your social media accounts, so be wise when creating those protective measures and consider choosing questions whose answers are more difficult to determine for thieves and hackers.
• Set new credit activity alerts
  While fraud alerts or credit freezes are a viable option, there are free services that monitor your credit and any new account openings or activity, which may be more effective than just a simple freeze.
• Check credit reports regularly
  AnnualCreditReport.com, a site sponsored by the government, allows every individual one free annual credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus. You may request all three reports at once, or receive one every 4 months to ensure you are keeping your report monitored throughout the year.

Though none of these methods are completely airtight, taking preventative measures to protect your credit is always advised. If you do fall victim to identity theft, check out the Federal Trade Commission’s step-by-step recovery guide for helpful information on how to get back on your feet.