The world is getting smaller and smaller with the powerful weapon known as the ‘Internet.’ Even though getting things at ease is the norm of the 21st century, there is a considerable drawback. People take advantage of hardworking, rich, and those who want to climb the ladder of success. Yes, they are called frauds or scammers, aiming to devastate your life and the lives of the innocents who have been fooled. As the world gets smaller, people tend to ensure that their identity is on the internet to recognize who they are. In the process, they generate a digital footprint on the internet.
You might wonder, that this is being done every day, how is this a threat to us? The internet is powerful but at the same vulnerable; that being said, your profile on the internet like social media, net banking, credit cards, or places where you fill in your details is at high risk. As the name suggests, identity theft is when a scammer or fraudulent tends to steal your personal information like your social security number, name, phone number, or email id and impersonate you for evil gain like money fraud. Don’t be alarmed, as there are ways to prevent being the victims of identity theft. These are the ways that will aid you to prevent identity theft.
Contents
Creating A Stronger Password
Passwords are the key to unlocking your world, your workspace, your financial records, and so much more. We tend to think about passwords that are logical to remember them wisely and effectively when we need them. For instance, you would choose your passwords like your pet’s name along with a birthdate or a phone number. You might have noticed that few networking sites or online banking have a system to determine the password’s strength. When you set your password as supposed ‘cat2712’, it will classify it as a weak password. Make your passwords strong, use special characters like @, #, $, %, and try to use numbers and characters (both capital and small letters), and make sure the length is more than nine places. When you set a stronger password that is not even closely related to your likes and dislikes, the probability of getting hacked is lowered, keeping your identity safe.
A way To Freeze And Unfreeze Your Credit Card (Not Recommending A Refrigerator)
A credit freeze helps you freeze your credit card, if and when required. You can freeze and unfreeze with ease. Why is there a need to freeze your credit card? When you freeze your Card, you as well as scammers, do not get access to your credit reports. Now, how would you benefit from it? When your credit card is not in use, like for loans or down payments, you should freeze your account so that it can prevent thieves from taking loans, and credits in your name.
Freezing your Card avoids security breaches, your personal information is locked. In this way, you will benefit from the feature. You can unfreeze your account by a single phone call to the credit bureau. The well-known credit card bureaus in the US are Equifax, TransUnion, Innovis, National Consumer Telecom, and Experian. The process of freezing and unfreezing your Card is completely free. Make fair use of it.
Be Your Social Security Number Watchdog
The one thing that you should be possessive about the most is your social security number. This is true, as your name is for humans to identify it, while your social security number is for the internet to identify you. Thus, in conclusion, your social security number is a part of your identity. Whenever someone asks for your social security number on the phone, become an interrogator and question the need for it and how they would protect it. Secondly, photocopies of important documents might tend to land up in the trash but before doing so tear the document into pieces making sure your social security number is covered up. Make sure you carry your social security number safely and be its watchdog.
Don’t Get Phished Out
Emails are an efficient way to communicate, especially for adults. All your work information, and financial updates are right in your inbox; all you need to do is have a quick read. Scammers or hackers send in an email that looks legit, except that the attachments contain a Trojan virus; clicking it can be malicious and should be avoided. Hence, to prevent this, make sure you check out the background information and use internet security services.
Beware Of Your Surrounding
It happens so that people around you tend to pick minor details about you. For instance, when you keep your screen looking like a pattern lock, imagine a person gazing at your phone without you being aware of it. When you draw the pattern, the person might get a hold of your password and make your private information vulnerable. Another example is when you are in a long queue at the supermarket’s billing counter, your pin might be viewed by another person when you pay by Card. Thus, to avoid this be cautious about your surroundings, and while dialing pins, make sure your other hand is covering over it.
Invest In A Shredder Or Make Use Of Your Fireplace
Necessary documentation that ends up in the garbage might contain sensitive information. The trash is easily accessible literally by anyone. Your data might get into the hands of an evil-doer, leaving you at risk. To avoid this, throw the papers in the fireplace and make sure it gets burnt out well, or shred every bit of the hard copies. The latter is preferable as it is a greener option.
