Simple Tips to Protect Your Identity Online

We have become online more than ever! It is primarily because online allowing us to leverage the benefit of overall conveniences like booking appointments and paying bills. However, these benefits might also leave us exposed to a wide range of potential risks -including identity theft. 

Identity theft refers to an individual using financial data or personal information of some other individual for different benefits. Cybercriminals might leverage relevant information like the name, SSN (Social Security Number), birthday, home address, driver’s license number, and information related to the bank account to utilize the same to their advantage. For instance, the name and coordinating financial information can be used for applying for credit cards or even opening new accounts. 

Some of the useful ways in which you can protect your identity online are:

Password-protect All Your Devices with Stronger Passwords

A great habit of using for online transactions is password-protecting your system or different devices with the help of unique and strong passwords. The devices you use to access online platforms are home to some of the most sensitive information -including all apps and emails connected to your bank account. Therefore, if the wrong individuals have access to these devices, a strong password will make it harder to access sensitive personal data.

To come up with a strong password, it is recommended to take ample time. It is crucial to come up with strong passwords that hackers are not able to guess easily. A strong, unique password should include a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid using information that other individuals are able to guess, like your birthdate, name, or home address.

Learn Identifying and Avoiding Phishing Scams

Identity thieves are highly skilled at making use of the latest technologies. Phishing is a great example in this context. Phishing features criminals mimicking reliable authorities -including banks or government agencies and leveraging the high-end position to obtain sensitive information of users. Phishing scams are known to start with conventional emails. They are now executed through email, text messages, and phone as well.

As per the general rule, it is recommended to avoid providing personal information when you are contacted by any government authority, bank, or some other important entity. At the same time, ensure that your email spam filters are capable of detecting phishing attempts. Avoid opening emails from individuals you do not know. At the same time, avoid downloading email attachments until you are aware of them. Most phishing emails are linked with malware -capable of infiltrating your device and accessing personal data. 

Set Proper Alerts With Your Bank

As finance-centric identity theft takes place, it also tends to affect financial institutions like lenders and banks. Therefore, these institutions are also willing to prevent common frauds. One way to achieve the same is by leveraging fraud alerts. You can go ahead with setting up the feature of online banking to launch fraud-related alerts -through email, phone, or a text message, in case your bank suspects any suspicious activity on your bank account.

In some cases, the bank might go ahead with freezing your account until you will verify whether or not the activity is legitimate. It is a common practice utilized to protect against credit card fraud. 

Go Through Credit Report Frequently

Your credit card report serves to be one of the most useful tools for identifying identity thefts and preventing their actions. You are entitled to receive a free credit card report once every year. You can obtain a free copy of the report from significant credit bureaus. 

As you get access to your report, go through it in-depth as you check for common inaccuracies. While monitoring the credit report, here are some pointers you should check:

• Accounts: Make sure that all accounts are current and yours. Keep a lookout for unrecognized utility accounts, credit cards, streaming accounts, or phone accounts.
• Personal Information: Verify that your personal information, like name, birthdate, home address, email address, employment details, and Social Security Number is correct.
• Public Records: Inspect for civil suits, foreclosures, bankruptcies, or liens. If you have these issues on the credit report and you do not identify them, you might be under the effect of identity fraud.

Be Careful of Sharing Information on Social Media

Social media serves to be a great platform to connect with others. However, it also opens doors to a wide range of vulnerabilities -including identity theft. It is important to be careful about what you are posting and being safe from sharing confidential personal details like names of your children, home address, birthdays, and so more. These are some of the entities that individuals also use as passwords. If a social media platform offers the ease of two-factor authentication, opt for the same.

Images on social media are another confidential piece of information. Avoid posting photographs on social media featuring confidential information -like the photograph of your passport or even your vaccine card. Ultimately, you can think of setting the visibility of all your social media accounts to private -restricting those who can view them. Even when your account might be private, you should still be careful about using social media.

Conclusion

The internet helps in connecting us all. Due to this, the concept of identity theft protection is of utmost importance. As people continue being connected increasingly, doing more activities, and sharing more personal information, cybercriminals are able to highlight potential weaknesses and leverage its advantage. Hackers are willing to make use of your information for multiple gains -identity theft is, therefore, no exception. 

It is crucial to be aware of the important steps to be secure online. If you are interested in the field of cybersecurity, you can think of joining the industry as well. You will require a detailed resume to apply. To ensure the same, you can think of taking help from professional resume writing services.