Identity theft

Illinois has issued a warning and it involves how artificial intelligence is now being used to make it easier for perpetrators to steal your identity and the threat is real and it's growing.

I like to remain in denial about how much of my personal information is available on the dark web because I like to sleep at night. However, all of us including everyone in the state of Wisconsin needs to wake up because there's a good chance that everyone's social security number has already been stolen.

Do you live in Illinois? Then you have a very good reason to be concerned. Thanks to a class-action lawsuit, it's been revealed that a background check company had a data breach which compromised nearly 3 billion social security numbers and includes every single citizen in the Land of Lincoln.

If your cell phone provider in Illinois is AT&T, you need to keep a close eye on your credit history and personal information as the company has revealed that nearly all of its customers were exposed in a historic data breach.

This proves that when it comes to your digital identity, you can never be too careful. Brand new data shows that all of a sudden, identity theft in Illinois is skyrocketing.

This is not a realistic option for everyone, but authorities have issued an urgent warning to Illinois residents to stop mailing checks or to potentially suffer dire consequences.

I see so many people walking around with purses that are so full and heavy or wallets that are super thick. FYI, criminals love you. #EmptyYourPurseASAP #WalletsToo

It might be time for some early spring cleaning.

Is identity theft a problem? Sure it is. Does a brand new ranking show that it's a bigger problem in Illinois than Missouri? Yes, Jim, it does.

Well, of course it's Illinois. Would a guy in Rockford, Illinois waste your time with a headline like that, only to reveal that the state that leads the nation in reports of identity theft is Oklahoma? That would be bad form on my part.