Warning! Even if you have anti-virus or spyware protection, you could still be an easy target for identity thieves, hackers and cyber criminals. Read on to find out how YOU are giving online criminals free access to your personal and financial information…
You’ve done all the right things. You’ve installed a good anti-virus and you keep it up to date, and you’re making sure you keep up with the latest security patches…so your computer should be safe from identity thieves, right?
Wrong!
According to a recent study, 37% of electronic identity theft cases had one thing in common: they were caused by an action taken by the user. That’s right, more than a third of identity thefts were not thefts, but giveaways!
So how do you avoid this happening to you?
No one is 100% safe, but the following 3 tips will stop you from accidentally giving online criminals access to your computer network and confidential information:
- Never visit or download free music files, videos or programs from file-sharing sites such as Kazaa. Not only are you downloading stolen materials, but these sites are surefire ways to introduce worms and viruses to your computer. Always set up web filtering software to prevent your family members or yourself from downloading any unauthorized programs or files.
- Never respond to any e-mail from a bank, credit card company, PayPal or online store where items are purchased (such as eBay) asking you to verify your account information, no matter how credible or legitimate it looks. These are phishing scams set up to access your account information.
- Ask for identification from anyone asking for physical access to electronic equipment. Just to test a theory, I asked a friend to walk into an office, say they are from “the phone company” responding to a problem, and ask to see the network. Access was granted to a complete stranger 100% of the time.
Always remember to review the following:
- Review your anti-virus and spyware protection
- Review your web filtering software
- Check your online security settings
- Discuss training needs for your security