Identity theft can shake the world, but it's not a good way. You may lose access to your financial account or you may have a surprise lien on your home. If someone commits a crime under your identity, you may be arrested. What can you do to avoid these amazing possibilities? Here are some simple tips to help you stay ahead of the thief. None of these can guarantee your safety against thieves who have personally targeted you, but most criminals chase people who haven't protected them. These five tips can help you make sure you and your identity aren't an easy choice.
1. Shredding, shredding, shredding
Never discard or recycle bank statements, bills, or documents containing your personal information. Invest in your home. Document shredder, use it. When in doubt, shred!
2. Document security
You don't need constant access to important documents like birth certificates, tax returns, social security cards, and more. Keep it safe in your fireproof home. It's a better choice than a bank vault. The contents of the box are not covered by insurance, and the bank must break through the box and remove the contents. Without notice.
What about a lockbox for your digital documents? Using encryption software, you can prevent snoops from accessing your computer from reading sensitive documents.
3. Enhance your password
Security breaches on secure sites can expose your login credentials to thieves, but you can minimize damage by using different strong passwords for every secure site. Of course, you keep them upright with a password manager.
4. Mother's Word
For example, when you want certain things like a mortgage or a new insurance account, you need to provide personal information. But at that time, I started the process and I confirmed that I am doing business with a legitimate company. If your company asks for personal information by snail mail, email or phone, compress your lips. If you believe the contact is legitimate, ask for a way to contact you after you have investigated.
5. Don't be fooled
It is advisable to seek help from technical support for computer problems. But don't be fooled by tech support agents who call or otherwise contact you. You. Yes, they can claim that your computer is sending a virus and you need to clean up the virus or you may run into problems. They will come up with a rough story, but eventually, they start asking for a password or requesting remote access to the computer. Hang up.
6. Cell phone lock
A smartphone in your pocket is an identity thief's dream. There are email, IM, social media, and other apps, you can log in and use. It contains a wealth of personal data, including all contacts. To lock the phone, you must use a strong authentication method. A three-digit PIN isn't enough, nor is it too simple a swipe pattern. Your best bet is biometric authentication such as fingerprint or facial recognition. iPhone X, backed by a strong passcode.
7. Phishing is not Fun
Installing a data theft Trojan on millions of computers is a daunting task. It's much easier to trick the victim and provide their credentials. Phishing websites imitate banks and other sensitive sites, hoping that some poor sap enters usernames and passwords. You may also be redirected to the actual site. Don't tell me about your identity. If you have clearly received an email from your bank, do not click on the link. Instead, log on directly to the bank site. Find the secure HTTPS URL and lock icon and make sure the URL in the address bar is correct. And if your anti-virus or browser flags the site as fraudulent, stay away!
Phishing is the same at work. In a dubbed attack, the spear-phishing malicious factor tricks an employee or executive into giving them a password or creating a very convincing email designed to transfer money to a shady account. Be careful when using work email.
8. Installation protection
Every PC and laptop comes with a powerful antivirus or full security suite. Several security suites include anti-theft features for laptops. There is a standalone utility that can help you lock and recover your lost or stolen laptop. Security products for mobile devices tend to combine anti-theft with anti-theft. Android devices are particularly vulnerable, but they can get lost or stolen, so install total security protection.
Don't stop there. Virtual private network setup or VPN, as well. Local security software protects your own device's data, and VPN protects the internet, so you protect your VPN. Using a VPN hides your private IP address, so websites cannot identify your location based on that address.
9. Avoid excessive avoidance.
It's fun to share your posts and photos with your social media friends, but if you're not careful, you can share them with identity thieves. It is very important to do it right. Social media security. Social media services prefer to change, so check your privacy settings from time to time.
10. Get a Free Credit Report
You can get free credit reports every year from the top ten credit institutions. You can register for reports from TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian at www.annualcreditreport.com. Yes, the Equifax breach exposes personal data for 143 million Americans, but the company is still in business. Here's the trick. Don't get it all at once. They are taken one at a time, every three months. It gives you a better guarantee overall. Also, the free, ad-supported credit karma service keeps an eye on your credit score.
Think one more time. You may have seen an advertisement that promises protection against identity theft. In fact, these services cannot really prevent identity theft, but they can be very useful in dealing with the consequences. Consider exactly what identity theft protection services do, don't, and decide if you are willing to pay for the services.
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