Having your identity stolen is something Kristina Campbell knows about.  Back in July she tried to use her debit card at a produce-stand only to have her card denied.

  • Kristina Campbell's identity was stolen in July
  • Since then, no banks will agree to finance a mortgage for her
  • For more ways to fight online crime, click here

"I went home because I knew there was money in the account. When I got home to find out what it was and saw all of these different transactions that were coming in and out of my account,” Campbell said.

Turns out someone had stolen her identity and attempted to open another credit card in her name. They even tied to make purchases.

"So I called the bank, apparently the bank contacted me, which was Wells Fargo, to let me know there was some suspicious activity going on in my checking account that they suspended it," Campbell said.

Now, Campbell checks her bank statements and credit report regularly to make sure she's not a victim again. That's something the Better Business Bureau said is right on track with what everyone should be doing.

"With the new technology, banks have things where you can receive alerts if your account was charged, so if there's a charge to your credit card, your bank statement or your checking account, you're gonna receive an alert," Bryan Oglesby with the Better Business Bureau said.

And that's not all you can do to protect yourself. Be more selective when you give out your personal information.

"You're not obligated to give up every single piece of your information," Oglesby warned. "So just ask questions when they're asking for that information. Why do you need this information? Do you really need it? How are you protecting this information?”

Meanwhile, Campbell has worked hard to clean up the mess someone made of her finances. Unfortunately, she's had some set-backs.

"Then trying to buy a house, well I can't, you're not gonna find a bank that's gonna want to loan you money when you have all of these hard hit inquiries because you don't look like you're a type of person that's responsible enough to buy the house,” Campbell said.

Kristina did report the theft to the three credit bureaus and has been working closely with them to fix the issue. It's important to note, even if you notify only one of the credit bureaus the others are automatically notified. So be sure to report any suspicious activity.

For more information on how to protect yourself from online crime, click here.