Tips against Identity theft
waterfront.co.uk has written a quite simple yet effective guide of how to protect yourself from identity theft. It goes as follows.
Keep your internet security updated, there are new threats every day, so it is crucial that your threat database is up-to-date. If you can’t afford a decent anti-virus/spyware, there are free ones out there, which are not necessarilly as good, but will prove to be better than nothing nevertheless.
Don’t share your passwords and don’t even write them down: by an unlucky coincidence someone may be there to find them and then it would be easy for them to commit illegal acts online using your name.
Don’t give your account details to any site that seems suspicious. A new way of identity theft is through the so called "phishing" scams. You can check for fraudulent websites by looking at the URL, which is displayed at the bottom of your browser, when your pointer is hovering above a link: if it seems too long, it probably is. You can never be too suspicious when dealing with cyber-crime.
Albeit a less efficient and less likely way to steal an identity is online queries and quizes: seemingly unimportant information such as your favorite color and others may prove to be useful hints for someone trying to guess your passwords, assuming the e-criminal is very good at his trade.
Wireless networks, the popularity of which is ever-growing can be quite dangerous. Unless the wireless network is perfectly secure, which it may or may not be in a public place, someone may well steal your connection and get usefull information. It is advised not to send sensitive data when the security of the network is uncertain.
If you’re really paranoid, put a password used upon exiting your screensaver or even install a finger-print recognition system as an addition to your computer. Of course, this is hardcore stuff, but hey, if you’re a CEO (or perhaps an online drug-dealer), nothing can be too good.
Finally, most obviously and most importantly, do not open spam-mail or any mail you suspect to be spam mail, let alone download any attachments from this mail and surf to any websites linked. Even though it might seem trivial, don’t download stuff from websites that are unknown to you.
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