Identity Theft Prevention Tips

Identity theft & preventative measures

 No doubt identity theft is on the increase, this would seem to a problem that many people all over the world are suffering from and concerned about. With this in mind I have put together a short list of Identity theft prevention tips.

In recent years there have been massive advances in online technology, in the main there have been many positive benefits that the online community has benefitted from. On the downside things like identity theft, credit card fraud and internet security in general has become a bit of a nightmare for the ordinary end user.

The vast majority of PC and laptop users does not have a high degree of knowledge in respect to PC security and basically just want to fire up their systems, write some emails or do some surfing without worrying about stuff like firewalls, spyware scanners, internet security suites and phishing?

It may be real nice to sit in the garden doing some work on your laptop but who knows very much about  WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). I would hazard a guess at, not many!

The following list should provide the ordinary home computer user ways to identity possible signs of identity theft and ways to prevent it without having to study and be awarded a best in geek class certificate.

Possible signs of Identity theft

• Loan or credit card applications refused with no apparent reason that you are aware of. 
• Mail that you SHOULD be getting isn’t being delivered. 
• High frequency of calls from telemarketers. 
• Receiving mail about a property you have allegedly rented or ? 
• Speeding citations in the mail when you are know you are not the offender. 

Coming across any of the above should make you wary; having your credit report checked would be a good idea under the circumstances.

Preventative Measures

• The firewall that comes with the Windows operating system is useless. Install Zone Alarm or some other reputable firewall. 
• Install an anti-virus scanner from a reputable company like AVG. Some come with spyware scanners as part of the install but my preference is for a dedicated spyware scanner. 
• Always clear your internet cache of cookies, I do this before and straight after I make a credit card purchase online. You can buy software like Webroot Window Washer that will do this for you just by clicking a button. 
• Never open email attachments from companies or individuals that you do not know, no matter how curious you may be. In all likelihood you will not have won the Nigerian National Lottery. 
• The old adage, “nothing is for free,” is generally true. Be wary of free software, many companies offer trial versions of their software which is an appropriate industry standard practice and should be ok. In any event never install any software straight onto your system before scanning the install file with your antivirus scanner first. 
• Many P2P music, software and movie sharing sites have malware attached to them. Download to an external drive first, scan with your security software before moving to and installing on your local system drive. 
• As an extra precaution I do an online scan once a month using F-Secure free online scanner. 
• Always check your bank and credit card statements carefully each month, and check your credit report on a reasonably regular basis. 
• No mail or documents with sensitive data to go into the dumpster before using a cross-cut shredder. 
• Never give out confidential data by phone or email. Contact the company in person to verify and arrange for confidential data to be provided in a secure environment. 

Ok so I lied, it wasn’t that short a short list. I can assure you that taking the time to read and implement the suggestions I have given, could help prevent an incident that may take a whole lot longer to sort out.

Identity theft; credit card fraud, phishing and hacking and the like are part and parcel of being connected to the World Wide Web. Indeed the world is a global village.

Every day new security threats appear. They are quickly followed by information such as the identity theft prevention tips I have provided to help us stop these cyber-criminals dead in their tracks.