With the advancement of technology, availability of data and internet, everything has become available online. Unlike the older generations who didn’t have the technologies they have available, nowadays many people use the internet every day for a variety of tasks. For example, 20 or more years ago, no one was paying their bills online, buying items in online stores, or watching movies online. Now, everything is completely different. True, this is good in some ways, however, all these improvements and advances bring new problems and troubles.
One of the biggest and most common problems people in 21th century face with is identity fraud. Quite simply, a huge number of people perform certain routines like the ones we listed above. This means that you have to enter some personal information on the specific sites you visit. This is quite a problem, as high activity can lead to problems. Take a look at Google, Facebook, or similar companies that collect information about their users and monitor online habits and behaviors to enhance their user experience. Also, there are sites like nuwber.com which can help you find information and contacts. So, machine-learning technology is growing more and more every year and you really need to know how to protect yourself when you are online, primarily because of identity fraud violations. This problem inspired us to dedicate today’s text to identity fraud and to show you 4 ways to protect yourself from it. Well, if you’re ready, let’s get started.
1. Be Aware That Your Passwords Are Very Important
When you are online, you must always be aware that password is often the only level of defense against attack. Given that ordinary people, as well as organizations, are often unaware of the importance of this segment of protection, they can easily become the target of attackers. Another important fact is that many sites are built on the WordPress platform. Attackers are aware of these facts and can often use brute force cracking to bring down a site you are visiting or maybe a site of your organization.
If this happens, you will very easily be unable to access, and thus all your data contained in the database will be compromised. In such situations, password is of great importance because, as we have said, it is often the only defense layer. Also, an even better solution is to use some online security tools like password manager. These allow you to create strong passwords separately for each site you need and manage them. This method of protection is significantly safer than the common use of one password on all accounts you use, and therefore if one goes down, hackers will not automatically get a password for all other accounts.
2. Be Proactive
As we noted, technology has advanced so much in the past decade and a half that most things happen online today. A lot of people use various online services that require the creation of an account, and therefore, leaving some personal information. In order to preserve this data, you must always think ahead, to be proactive. For example, many people use social networks, which are a very sensitive category in the online world. That means you always have to be careful about what you make publicly available. First of all, we think of your email addresses or location. Also, a phone number is a very sensitive piece of information that attackers can use. So, think again if you really want to share this information.
Apart from these, it is very important that you never share information such as a credit or bank account. Also, whenever you use your card for online shopping, make sure no one knows your account info. Another thing that is very important is that you never send personal information via email. You may receive an email requesting such information, however, it is better to check directly with the company you are dealing with. Also, an excellent protection against various attacks is to install reliable antivirus software and make sure it is always up to date. So, all these precautions will help you stay away from attackers and thus avoid identity fraud.
3. Use Multi-factor Authentication
Since you need to have a password as the primary protection of your account, this can be a pretty weak security. Instead, you can improve the level of protection by using multi-factor authentication. There is various software that allow two-factor authentication in your account, such as Duo Security that provide push-notifications, one-time passcodes, phone calls, etc.
This kind of additional protection is very effective because attackers would first need to know your basic password and then pass two-factor authentication, which is extremely difficult, almost impossible. Many authenticators such as Duo Security offer to users a free plan, but even if there is no free solution, this is a solution that you simply shouldn’t exclude if you care about protecting your data.
4. Block or Delete Spam
We believe you know what it looks like when your inbox is full of spam. This situation is very annoying, but also very dangerous. One of the most common ways to theft data is via email. Specifically, hackers or attackers create an email that is forwarded so that when you open it and click, for example, a link inside, you can damage your computer’s operating system, completely lose valuable data, or have attackers theft personal information such as bank accounts, website accounts and passwords, etc.
You certainly don’t want this to happen to you. Therefore, a convenient solution is to use another type of software to block spam from getting into the inbox. There are free and paid spam blockers, so our advice is to use this tool and avoid annoying situations and irreparable losses.
Conclusion
Today, it is becoming more and more difficult to protect personal information and prevent identity fraud. Fortunately, there are still safe enough ways to protect yourself from hackers. If you have read the text above carefully, we believe that you will immediately apply some of these methods of protection.
