Tips To Prevent Identity Theft Online

By Author: Joy Mali
Total Articles: 22
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Identity theft is a widespread crime, preying on thousands of innocent people worldwide. With increase in cyber crimes everywhere, protecting sensitive information online is thus mandatory.

If you are a victim of such crimes in the past, protection is important. For those who are oblivious to it, it is time to protect your privacy online. Online documents, banking cards, and sensitive information that can be misused by hackers must be secured.

Identity theft occurs when an individual gains unauthorized access to your computer, steals confidential information, and uses this information for his personal end. In most cases, identity theft crimes are related to financial issues while in few cases the perpetrator intends to damage the reputation of the victim.

Being aware of this crime is the first step towards preventing yourself from becoming a victim. Hence you need every protection you can get to safeguard yourself from these potential threats online. To ensure protection, here are few simple steps:

1. Never give out your personal information, such as the date of birth or social security number, online.

2. ...
... When making financial transactions, always make sure that the website is trustworthy.

3. Never click on suspicious links or e-mails promising hefty prize money.

4. Use good anti-virus programs which have the ability to deal with Trojans which can steal information from your PC.

5. Use passwords which are combination of numbers and alphabets, and never keep your date of birth or your middle name as your password. More importantly, make sure that you change your passwords quite often.

6. Make sure that the computer systems you use to run your business are well secured with necessary software. Hackers are on the lookout for unsecured machines from which they can steal the valuable data.

7. Make sure that your personal information is not accessible to anyone around you. Writing down your ATM PIN or net banking password in a place or document just because you don't remember it can cost you dearly.

8. Prepare a security policy for your business and enforce it with immediate effect. Make sure that only concerned employees have access to the various parts of the office.

Follow these simple steps as important measures to safeguard your personal information and privacy online.

Enroll with MyID and get online identity theft protection in real time. MyID sends you identity theft alerts and helps you to protect your personal information on the internet. Visit http://www.myid.com and protect your privacy on the internet.