Basic Steps to Prevent Identity Theft
in the Digital Economy
There are three basic steps to
prevent identity theft from thieves in the cyber world. Now that more
consumers are going paperless and are conducting more of their business
transactions over the internet, identity thieves are also becoming
aggressive trying to illegally capture peoples’ personal information via
computer.
Never respond to emails
soliciting your personal information. Identity thieves have become
very savvy in this new technical age, and have utilized the internet to
take identity theft to a whole new level. Phish emails, as they are
commonly known, look like they are sent by a company or organization
that you may do business with, perhaps your bank, online retailer, or
even a US government agency. They often will tell the recipient that
there is an issue with his account, ask him to click a link to visit a
website (which looks very much like the official website), and enter
some personal information to fix the problem. If the scam is successful,
and it often is, the unfortunate recipient willingly hands over his
vital information and is now at the bidding of the identity thieves. To
avoid this scam from happening to you, never respond to email
solicitations, even if you know they are legitimate. But then again, you
could never “know” for sure. Delete them and visit the purported
organization’s official website or call it direct.
Secure your computer and
files. This is probably the most basic of all steps to prevent
identity theft. Identity thieves can steal vital personal data by simply
copying files from your hard drive while you’re not looking. They can
access your data remotely from another computer if they can successfully
implant software on your computer. To keep identity thieves from
accessing your computer, do the following three things. First, password
protect your computer and files so that only you and maybe a few trusted
others can access your computer. Second, install anti-virus and firewall
software on your computer. Anti-virus software helps detect and dispose
of malicious programs that can help an identity access your data
remotely. Firewall software blocks unauthorized access to your computer
over the internet. Third, avoid downloading files from unfamiliar
sources, as they may contain malicious programs. If you must download
something, always scan it with anti-virus software to ensure its
integrity.
Check your credit report(s)
frequently. Since identity thieves often make unauthorized uses of
someone else’s credit, it is wise that you actively monitor your credit
report(s). Monitoring your credit report(s) you will be able to spot
suspicious activity. If you do happen to notice something fishy on your
credit report(s) many states will allow you to freeze your credit until
things get cleared up. You can obtain a free credit report once a year
from each of the big three credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax,
and TransUnion) at
www.annualcreditreport.com. Since each agency will only give one
free credit report per year, do not obtain all three at one time.
Instead, obtain only one from a different agency every three months.
This will allow you to keep a watchful eye on your credit report(s)
throughout the year for free.
Other
Identity Theft Links
Identity Theft Protection Tips
Steps to Prevent Identity
Theft in the Cyber World
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