Despite all precautions you may take, can you ever feel 100 percent safe when it comes to identity theft?
As many have found, it only takes one successful strike by thieves to turn their worlds upside down. When it does happen, it can take years for some to recover.
In looking at your life, are you worried the Internet might be the route an identity theft thief will take to get to you?
Protect Yourself on and Offline
Although you could be the wrong person at the wrong time when it comes to theft, there are steps to take to protect you.
First, do you already have an identity theft protection provider?
Such companies watch consumer’s finances and alert them to any abnormalities.
With that in mind, take the time if you do not have a provider to research which one might be best for you.
In going online, review Identity Guard plans and those of other companies in the business.
Once you decide which company and plan is best for you, feel a little bit better about your situation.
It is also important to note that many I.D. theft thieves use the Internet to strike at their victims. Given this fact, you want to do all you can to be safe when online.
Among the best practices to follow:
- Be careful with info – Do you do all you can to protect your sensitive financial info when on a computer? Unfortunately, some consumers are too lax in this area. As a result, they can set themselves up for trouble. Do your best to protect things like your usernames and passwords for online accounts. Also, never volunteer where you bank and other such personal info. There is no reason for a stranger to have such details.
- Teach children – If you have children at home using a computer, tell them not to divulge personal info. You might find surprise to learn that children are oftentimes targeted by I.D. theft thieves. Such criminals tend to work on children are more apt to give out personal info on their families.
- Take precautions if traveling – When you travel, do you use computers in hotel lobbies? If you said yes, keep in mind that you could open yourself up to problems. Since you can’t know with certainty if the computers have anti-virus software, you can be exposed. For instance, what if you checked your online bank account on a hotel computer? If that computer has been compromised; so too could your financial info. Always assume there is a risk. As such, save such activities for your own computer at home you know you have protected.
- Downloading emails – Last, always avoid downloading any suspicious emails that come your way. Some criminals send out such emails in hope unsuspecting individuals will open them.
In being a more informed consumer, do all you can to stop identity theft thieves in their tracks online.
When you do, you will have a little more peace of mind online and off.