Online Security: Ways to Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft
Published: 04/12/2011 by Home Alarm Directory
1. Never
click on links in an email
Many times, people who are looking to steal your information will send you an email with some sort of link to a website. This email could be disguised as a message from your bank, Paypal, Ebay or even from a Facebook account that has been hacked. Once you click on the link, you are taken to a website that asks you personal information such as a social security number, user name and password, credit card information or other personal information. This technique is call phishing and it is how identity thieves steal information online. Even if the link appears to be legitimate, don’t click on it. If you do suspect an email to be a phishing scam, it’s important to report the email to a trustworthy entity so proper measures can be taken.
Many times, people who are looking to steal your information will send you an email with some sort of link to a website. This email could be disguised as a message from your bank, Paypal, Ebay or even from a Facebook account that has been hacked. Once you click on the link, you are taken to a website that asks you personal information such as a social security number, user name and password, credit card information or other personal information. This technique is call phishing and it is how identity thieves steal information online. Even if the link appears to be legitimate, don’t click on it. If you do suspect an email to be a phishing scam, it’s important to report the email to a trustworthy entity so proper measures can be taken.
2. Shop
only on secure websites
When making purchases online, verify that the site you are on uses SSL encryption. At checkout, look for the “https” in the address bar or for a locked graphic at the bottom of your browser. If you don’t have a secure connection, hackers can easily grab your private data that is being transmitted.
3. Use
strong passwords
Unbelievably, one of the most common passwords that people use for their password is the word “password.” In fact, hackers have a list of 500 words most commonly used as passwords, which makes identity theft for them quite easy. For the best online security, don’t use common words or personal information as your password. Ideally, you want to use a different password for every online account you own, but sometimes this can be overwhelming. If you decide to have the same password for every account, make sure it is at least 8 characters long with at least one uppercase letter, lowercase letter, number and symbol. Keep your passwords in a secure place and never email your password to anyone, as emails can be intercepted.
When making purchases online, verify that the site you are on uses SSL encryption. At checkout, look for the “https” in the address bar or for a locked graphic at the bottom of your browser. If you don’t have a secure connection, hackers can easily grab your private data that is being transmitted.
Unbelievably, one of the most common passwords that people use for their password is the word “password.” In fact, hackers have a list of 500 words most commonly used as passwords, which makes identity theft for them quite easy. For the best online security, don’t use common words or personal information as your password. Ideally, you want to use a different password for every online account you own, but sometimes this can be overwhelming. If you decide to have the same password for every account, make sure it is at least 8 characters long with at least one uppercase letter, lowercase letter, number and symbol. Keep your passwords in a secure place and never email your password to anyone, as emails can be intercepted.
4. Install anti-virus and anti-spyware protection
Not only will anti-virus and anti-spyware protect you from identity theft, it will also prevent malware and viruses from slowing your computer performance down to a crawl. It’s important to make sure your protection is always up to date and that you use it regularly. If you don’t, identity thieves can easily steal your personal information without you even knowing it.
Not only will anti-virus and anti-spyware protect you from identity theft, it will also prevent malware and viruses from slowing your computer performance down to a crawl. It’s important to make sure your protection is always up to date and that you use it regularly. If you don’t, identity thieves can easily steal your personal information without you even knowing it.
5. Use
privacy controls on social networking sites
Websites such as Facebook and Twitter are great places to network, but also are a goldmine for identity theft. To prevent this, restrict who can view your personal information to only people you know. Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know and be careful about what information you post online. Also be careful about clicking on any links, as your friend may have been a victim of identity theft without them even knowing it. For greater online security, consider using a Facebook application called SafeGo which is designed to protect you from any kind of threat or suspicious link in your inbox or on your profile wall. By taking proactive steps, your online experience will be safer, more enjoyable and more secure.
Websites such as Facebook and Twitter are great places to network, but also are a goldmine for identity theft. To prevent this, restrict who can view your personal information to only people you know. Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know and be careful about what information you post online. Also be careful about clicking on any links, as your friend may have been a victim of identity theft without them even knowing it. For greater online security, consider using a Facebook application called SafeGo which is designed to protect you from any kind of threat or suspicious link in your inbox or on your profile wall. By taking proactive steps, your online experience will be safer, more enjoyable and more secure.
