Avoiding Identity Theft
You've probably seen horror stories on the news about identity theft
recently, or seen the sad-but-funny commercials in which you see the
identity-theft victim talking in the thief's voice about all the things
the thief was able to buy and do with the stolen identity. It's a very
real problem, and in our technological age, with all our reliance on
computers and the Internet, it's getting worse.
Fortunately, there's no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
There are steps you can take to ensure the security of your identity
while still taking full advantage of all the Internet has to offer.
1) Protect your computer. You'd be surprised how many times per day the
"script kiddies" try to access known vulnerabilities on your machine. If
you run any flavor of Windows, as most people do, the operating system
ships with dozens of known security flaws, and malicious people run
automated scripts that scour the Internet looking for these holes. Once
one is found, the fiend can give himself full access to your machine and
install hidden programs that monitor your keystrokes when you type in
passwords, rifle through your files (like your Quicken data file) and
access your e-mail or worse. This is one way identities get stolen.
You'll definitely want to invest in a good antivirus package like
Symantec's, Norton's or McAfee's. You'll also want to close down the
Windows services that you aren't using. Here's a link to a website that
will show you your computer's vulnerabilities and help guide you in
fixing them. Choose the ShieldsUp! online test program from here:
http://www.grc.com/default.htm Sometimes program installers and
websites will install spyware or adware on your machine to follow your
activities for marketing or other nefarious purposes. Get rid of that
stuff forever by using SpyBot Search and Destroy and/or AdAware, two
popular free programs that help you fight the menace of spyware. You
can download these and find other invaluable information at the website
of the Kim Komando computer-oriented radio show:
http://www.komando.com2) Pay attention online. You don't want to blindly trust anything you
see there. Any site that offers to accept your credit card information
will have a secure digital certificate signed by a trusted agency like
Verisign or Thawte. If you see certificate warnings on a site with whom
you plan to do business, you should think twice before typing in that
number. A secure connection will keep your data safe, but only if it's
a secure connection to whomever you're actually supposed to be
connecting! Also, most companies (especially Microsoft) do not send
software updates by e-mail. Virus-laden e-mail spreads somewhat
ironically, by making people think that they're doing something
proactive about spam or virii while they're actually running a malicious
script disguised as something else. Most companies will not be sending
you e-mail requesting that you provide them with financial information
on a web form somewhere. This includes, to give you recent examples of
attempts I've received or heard about, the IRS, CitiBank and PayPal.
3) Keep your personal information secure. Your data is only as safe as
your garbage -- remember that. Don't keep your passwords on a Post-It
note hanging from your monitor or anywhere the fiend is likely to look.
Don't even write them down at all, if possible. If you use Passport
or Apple's Keychain or some other all-in-one password keeper, make sure
you keep your master password in your head, and keep it changed fairly
often. Don't use the same password everywhere, either. Don't throw
away anything intact that you wouldn't want found by the curb or blowing
down the street behind the garbage truck -- invest in a paper shredder
and make use of it before throwing away anything that bears your account
numbers, your social security number or any other personally-identifying
information. Anthropologists piece together entire vanished cultures
from the garbage they left behind in the ground -- it isn't that hard to
pretend to be you once your bank statement or cellphone bill has fallen
into the wrong hands. Former hacker and now computer security expert
Kevin Mitnick wrote an entire book on social engineering -- that is, the
control of the weakest element in secure systems, human beings. People
can be talked into doing things and providing information a computer
would never dream of releasing -- all it takes is a sad story, some
industry-specific jargon or a little feigned frustrated anger, and the
fiend is into your life.
4) Immediately report any unusual activity to the appropriate
authorities. Unusual credit-card charges or bank drafts should be
reported to the financial institution at once. Most of them will
monitor your accounts and help you find out if anything crazy is
happening. Contact the Better Business Bureau or the local police if
you think someone is trying to run a scam on you -- they may already
have a dozen reports of the same thing, and they can track down
fraudulent activities much more easily than you can. Don't attempt to
"opt-out" of receiving spam by going to the link at the bottom of the
e-mail...all that does is tell a spammer that you have an active e-mail
address that you use. If possible, use a throw-away e-mail address
(such as a free one at Hotmail or Yahoo!) to use when you sign up for
things online. Get a call-back number from the salesman or the
representative of the Fraternal Order of Police (another favorite scam)
when they call you on the phone; and if they won't give you one, then
they don't want your business -- they just want your personal information.
Identity theft is very real, but the potential for it does not outweigh
the good the Internet offers. I've been on the Internet since 1989, way
before there was a World Wide Web, and I've never allowed myself to be
victimized. It isn't difficult to lock down your computer, and a bit of
natural suspicion when dealing with unfamiliar companies online or on
the phone will go a long way toward securing your personal identity from
theft.
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About the Author
Trevor Bauknight is a web designer and writer with over 15 years of
experience on the Internet. He specializes in the creation and
maintenance of business and personal identity online and can be reached
at
trevor@.... Stop by
http://www.cafeid.com for a free tryout of
the revolutionary SiteBuildingSystem and check out our super Flash
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