Be Proactive With Identity Theft Avoidance
Identity theft is on the rise, and with the myriad of new thieves, schemes and dangers that are out there, it’s hard to determine which one will get you. Every year, thousands of Canadians fall victim to identity theft as they go about their daily lives – a day like any other until they suddenly realize that they've been robbed blind. And while there are many preventative measures which can help guard against this problem like not leaving your personal information on a public computer or choosing your passwords wisely, it's never too late to beef up your security before you fall victim. So today we'll teach you how to avoid becoming an unwitting pawn in someone else's scheme.
1. Set up a security alert on your credit card
This might seem like a no-brainer, but just one missed payment by consumers can create new avenues for identity thieves to use your information to open new accounts and drain your bank account dry. If a thief can get the details of your credit card, he can make an ATMs dispense money from it or, in this case, take out his own payday loan.
2. Buy annual ID protection for all of your cards
It's an easy way to add protection to one of the most useful pieces of plastic you carry, which is usually a credit card.
3. Keep an eye on your credit report
It’s the foundation of your credit history and the first place a thief will look to recreate your identity. If you notice any suspicious activity, get in touch with the authorities.
4. Install anti-virus software on all of your devices
You can't be too careful nowadays, especially as cyber attacks are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect. Also, always make sure that you have software updates on those devices as hackers will often exploit known vulnerabilities in older versions of software - for example, if you haven't updated Java in a while and there's a new version out, you're vulnerable to an attack until you have installed it!
2. Change your passwords on a regular basis
You might think that since you're using an old password, it can't be used by anyone else. However, many people use the same old passwords on multiple sites and if any of those sites get hacked (like in the Heartbleed attack), hackers will have access to a list of user names and passwords which they can then try to use elsewhere. So make sure that your password has at least 8 characters, uses a combination of numbers, letters and symbols and isn't based on anything too obvious like your name or birthday. And change it every 60 days or so for extra security.
3. Create a password manager
A password manager is a software program which gives you the ability to create and store different passwords for different sites. They can help reduce the number of passwords you have to remember, although they are still vulnerable to hackers who may be able to obtain your login information from a password manager (although some password managers actually encrypt these logins so that hackers won't get anything useful). But since your passwords will be stored in the cloud, if one gets breached, all of the others will as well. So even though you wont be able to use them in person, at least they'll protect you online.
4. Back up your information
Again, this is probably something you've heard a million times and yet still forget to do. You should have a good back-up system for your important files and documents - especially those which include personal information like your banking information and personal correspondence. As long as it's not on any device which can be stolen or in the cloud, it should be safe.
5. Watch out for legal changes
It's very common for companies to change their privacy policies or terms and conditions of service, which can cause changes to how you're treated on their site. So if you've signed up to a site and they suddenly start sending you ads or telling you how much they value their customers, it might be time to get out.
6. Report suspicious email or texts
We've already mentioned that you should watch out for phishing scams (where hackers try to trick users into giving up their passwords) which can happen online or via email, but it's also possible for them to attempt social engineering attacks (where they trick you into revealing your personal information by pretending to be someone else). This is most common with text messages and while most people don't look at every text they receive, if one looks suspicious, flag it and report it to the authorities.
7. Don't leave all of your personal information on Facebook
One of the most common ways for hackers to get access to information is via social engineering. One of the most common scams is where a hacker will pretend to be someone else, like a bank representative or even an online seller or vendor. To try and get you to reveal your financial information, they'll often use fake logos or ask you to send money through a website which looks real- even though you can't pay the company with your credit card over the internet! But what they don't realize is that they're just as likely to steal your identity by stealing your Facebook login. This is why you should always use a separate browser when using Facebook and never store any important information like your birthday, mother's maiden name (credit report) or your credit card number on there. Just because it's not stored in the cloud doesn't mean it can't be stolen by hackers though.
8. Secure your mobile device
While most things are very secure in the cloud, you still want to make sure that nothing is stored on your device which could be used against you later. You should use a four digit passcode and avoid using anything obvious like your birthday or name. Make sure that you regularly install software updates and don't download apps which are suspicious or unknown.
9. Don't store your address in your contact information
All of the above attacks rely on the fact that hackers have access to your contact information (whether directly or through social engineering). So it's a good idea to edit the details of your contact information and remove any sensitive details like your birthdate, address or phone number.
10. Watch out for malicious websites
Just because the site looks legitimate, doesn't mean that it is. Most webpages will come up in the browser as a list of links and some of these are designed to look like they're legitimate but in fact contain malicious code which can collect your information or even steal your identity. Common ones are things like survey sites and popups which claim that you've won something but then want you to enter personal information - but none of them will give you any prizes! There are also more complex phishing schemes where hackers pretend to be someone else and get you to go on a site which looks completely different (for example, a dating site).
Conclusion: The above list isn't comprehensive, so be sure to pay close attention to the techniques used by hackers and the way you manage your personal information. Staying informed, staying secure and staying safe online all comes down to monitoring your situation and taking action as soon as you think something is wrong.
If you want to learn more about online security, check out our Cloud Security eBook series which also includes tips on how to secure your network in the cloud and how to spot suspicious activity in the cloud.