Protect Against Cyber Identity Theft

The internet has made life a lot easier for many of us. Information is available at the click of a mouse. We can contact people on the other side of the globe through e-mail and we can instantly download books and documents online. The downside of the internet boom, however, is cyber crime. It is now much easier for a person bent on identity theft to gain access to your personal information.

Here are some precautions to take to protect yourself against identity theft online.

Cyber Identity Theft: Precautions

Your personal computer, laptop and PDAs contain a lot of information about your bank accounts, credit cards, online banking and PIN numbers. It's easy to see how much damage an identity thief ccould cause by getting his hands on just your PDA. He could hack into your accounts and access the information he needs.

Here are some ways to protect yourself against becoming a victim of online identity theft.

1) Passwords - Try to block unauthorized access to your PC or laptop by using passwords. Use passwords for all devices you use for storing personal information, whether PDAs or laptops.

2) Never Have the PC “remember” Your Password: That little icon you need to click to get your PC to store and automatically fill up your password when you log in seems very useful. However, resist the temptation to use this convenient option, since all an identity thief has to do is click the icon (your login ID is not difficult to get) and viola! - He is in!

3) Change Passwords - Keep changing passwords often. This minimizes the risk of your identity being stolen.

4) Anti virus - It would be very careless to run the system without proper protection against viruses. Sometimes, you may not even realize that your PC has been infected, while an identity thief might be accessing all the information on your system.

5) File Sharing - File sharing is a potential threat to all PC and laptop users. File sharing allows two way transfer of information, which means that while you can access the information on somebody else’s system, the other person also gets access to your system, often without your knowledge.

6) Phishing - “Phishing” refers to the malpractice of assuming the identity of a legitimate party in order to extract information from you. The next time you receive a statement from your bank in your email asking for your PIN number, call the bank and confirm before you give away your personal information.

Identity theft can be extremely traumatic as well as dangerous since it could land you in a financial mess for what another person has done. Don't wait for it to happen to you. Take steps today and protect yourself from identity theft now.

Credit Card Identity Theft is Easier Than You Think

If someone wants to attack your personal and financial security credit card identity theft is the most common means by which to do it. Without forewarning of this crime you could be an easy target for a criminal to exploit and rob. Credit card security is actually fairly simple. There is a set of guidelines that you should follow to lessen the likelihood of your card number being used without your authorization. A good place to begin is your your every day activities especially those made online. With the increased use of online shopping, banking, bill payment and stock market surfing it is easy to unwittingly make our personal credit card information accessible to thieves. Many sites do provide a certain amount of built-in security to help prevent credit card identity theft but sometimes their efforts just aren’t enough. This is where you need to take the next step and protect your information and yourself from credit card identity theft.

Make Sure Your Personal Information Is Kept Private

Your first action should be to make a list of all your credits cards, their numbers, fraud emergency numbers listed on the back, and keep this list in a safe place in your home. This will enable you to respond quickly when the theft is realized. The next step would be to restrict your credit card purchases online to vendors and companies that you know and trust. If it looks like a small, or family owned business, perhaps consider sending a money order for your purchase of the goods. The final of the three easiest steps to take in protecting yourself from credit card identity theft is smart password management. Most people, as dangerous as it sounds, have the same password for all of their online activities. This is an overlooked and dangerous risk that leaves you open to credit card identity theft.

Your password should be your first and most powerful protection against credit card identity theft. Don't use words that appear in the dictionary or names. A combination of numbers and letters is best, of at least 8 characters. Keep a note of your passwords to all of your online financial and personal information web logins in a file that is itself password protected or, better yet, keep a list on paper that is nowhere near your computer. Protect yourself from credit card identity theft and move away from the mentality that “it will never happen to you”. If you are one of the unfortunate ones and you find your credit card has been stolen or you suspect your personal details have been breached notify the credit card company immediately.