This Guest post is Written by Usman from Become Expert
It’s difficult to go anywhere without seeing advertisements to protect yourself against identity theft with credit cards offering added protection and every financial service business giving suggestions on how to protect your information.
When it comes down to the core, it is up to you as individual to manage your information and only you can provide the information needed to access your accounts. So it is perhaps more about being aware of the perils and pitfalls you may experience with web usage.
One of the biggest areas for stealing identities is through the use of hoax emails. These are emails that are sent to you, supposedly from a company such as a bank, asking for your information by logging on via a link provided in the webpage. If you click on this link then you will be taken to a webpage that looks very much like the company it is supposed to be for, but if you carefully examine the webpage address then it doesn’t look right. For these sort of scams its best to ignore and just use the delete button. If you really are concerned, then go to the website of the supposed company and log on directly. Then see if there is any information there. Even companies like eBay have been used for this.
The other big email hoaxes are the ones offering you money or prizes. Either asking you to transfer funds from some international bank account or telling you that you have one some big lottery prize or similar, from something you cannot remember. IF it looks too good to be true then it probably is. Think of all these emails as junk mail dropping through your letter box and just delete them. There are a number of webmail and email programs that offer to filter these out at source, if you have the chance to use these then they will add protection for you.One big opportunity for identity theft is the use of online websites or even people online who will just ask for it. Think about the way you pass information and consider only giving the absolute minimum needed to register with a website. And if you engage in online chat rooms or forums, be mindful of what people ask about you, equally if you use matchmaking services online. You don’t know these people at all so why share personal information. It may seem harmless enough to ask about your mother and her history, but one of the biggest security questions in use asks the question of your mother’s maiden name, obtaining this might allow someone to reset your password for an account and from there they can develop all sorts of information with other accounts or other information.
Finally, when it comes to protecting your online identity think offline as well as online. Be mindful of saying things in public about the web and your experiences. If you’re in the bus queue or the at the store cashier line up, then you may say something about your names or Identities which would allow someone to access your information. This could even be as simple a statement as the name of the website you were on last night chatting. IF you have a profile and picture there then you may well be able to be identified and who knows what can be obtained thereafter.
Author: Guest
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