Tips How To Prevent Identity Theft ONLine

Tue May 5, 2009, 7:24 am | 1 Comment

There are many different ways your personal information can be stolen electronically. Protect yourself online with the following tips:

Password Protection

• Never share your password or PIN with anyone.
• Never write your password down where they could be easily found by others.
• When creating password, don’t use information that could be easily linked to you – such as your birth date, Social Security number, or phone number.
• Use password that contain both letters and numbers, preferably not recognizable words.
• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides helpful password tips at 7 Practices for Computer Security.
• Use a unique password for each system. Always use a different password for each system you access.
• Change your online account password often. Some banks recommend that you change your passwords every 30 days.

e-Mail Safety

• If an offer received via e-mail or on a website sound too good to be true, it probably is.
• E-mail is not secure. Never e-mail personal financial information such as account numbers or your Social Security number.
• Don’t open e-mail or attachments from senders you don’t know. And even when you know the source, exercise caution. Attachments may be Trojan Horse programs that compromise your computer’s security.
• Beware of e-mail scams. Never respond to unsolicited e-mail or click a link within a suspicious e-mail asking you to validate your account information or provide personal information.
• Use e-mail filtering software to screen for “spam” and identify suspect messages.
• Turn off the “preview” function of your e-mail program. The feature can be a security risk.
• Use secure messaging when it’s available.

General Online Security

• If you are providing financial information or placing an order online, be sure the site is secure. Look for a URL that begins with “https://” and the “closed padlock” (secure lock) in the lower right hand corner of your browser.
• Do business only with financial institutions and online merchants that you know and trust.
• Watch out for copycat sites that may try to look like a financial institution. Be sure you are using the correct web address for your bank.
• Don’t reply to any e-mail or pop-up message that requests you update or provide personal information.
• Never leave your computer unattended while using any online banking or investing service.
• Always log off completely and close your browser when you are finished with a secure session.
• Only access your personal financial information from a computer you “trust.” Internet kiosks and cyber cafes are not as secure as your personal computer.
• Install, use and regularly update anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your computer.
• Make sure your computer is up-to-date with security patches for your operating system and applications. Windows users should turn the Auto-Update feature on. Security patches may be found at vendor’s websites. Check the sites periodically as these patches are frequently updated.
• Consider using a personal firewall to prevent hackers from invading your personal computer, especially if you are using DSL, Fiber Optics, or a cable modem to access the Internet. A firewall can make you virtually “invisible” online and will help to block out communications from unauthorized sources.
• If you use wireless networking, make sure to turn on all security features such as WPA encryption. Change the default password and Service Set identifier (SSID) on your wireless router.

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