Preventive Measures to Combat Identity Theft Online

By: Duncan Roberts
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:23:30
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Identity theft online is becoming more common. As the Internet becomes more and more a daily fixture in our lives, then the threat of online identity theft will always be looming above our heads.

Putting an End to Internet Identity Theft Online

Stopping identity theft online is somewhat an impossibility now; what with the many tools that come out every time. These tools make our jobs easier; unfortunately, the same goes for identity thieves. The best we can do to prevent identity theft online is to take necessary precautions.

Keep your password secure. Passwords serve as ‘keys’ to personal Internet accounts, so care should be taken in handling them.

* Be wary of pop-ups that ask you if you would like your password to be remembered. Choosing this option results in your password being saved in a system file, which hackers can access to conduct identity theft online.

* Prevent identity theft online by creating a lengthy password, which contains a combination of alpha numeric characters.

* Whenever possible, refrain from entering or providing all of your personal information over the Internet. The Internet is not the best nor the safest place for keeping your personal information.

Be wary of ‘phishing’. Phishing is a strategy for conducting identity theft online. It is the deception of Internet users so that these users will be coerced into providing their personal information and passwords. The identity thief poses as someone from a legitimate company or source.

Examples of these identity theft online strategies are emails that inform you that you've won a certain prize and that you have to provide certain personal information to claim your prize.

If you are unsure of whether the email you received is a scam or not, try to verify the source of the message, or ask for a proof of legitimacy.

Use firewalls. Firewalls have become a necessity. A lot of free tools are now available that make identity theft online easier to perform and firewalls can protect your system against these ‘attacks’. There are about 60,000 entry points to your computer. Firewalls can help filter these entries.

Use a secure connection. Prevent identity theft online by ensuring that you check the web address in the browser address bar before you submit personal information. A secure web page has a URL starting with ‘https://’. Without this on the browser address, you are not guaranteed of a secure connection, and your information can easily be accessed.

Always confirm. Think twice before you submit personal information online. Ensure that the receiver of your information is trustworthy. Identity theft online is so easy because your entire profile can be built based on only a piece of information. Be careful!

Regularly check your account. To prevent identity theft online, be diligent in reviewing your account transactions. Immediately report any discrepancies.

Identity theft online is a real and serious threat that should be ignored. So if you want to avoid becoming a victim, heed these tips!

Duncan Roberts has worked in identity theft prevention for a number of years, far more than he actually wants to think about as it means he's getting old! You can learn more about Internet Identity Theft at his site http://www.keep-your-id.com/internet-identity-theft.php

Article source: Expert Articles