Last month I had the pleasure of sitting in on a small group presentation by a member of the Secret Service on Identity Theft.  The officer was very aware of the needs to use our identities online during a day-and-age when online transactions outnumber traditional forms of purchase, however; he made some very good points on the statistics of identity theft, the reality and severity of their nature, and how to take preventative action and combat this crime.

Every day our world becomes more dependent on technology and the exchange of money electronically.  Our country has gone from an almost 0% usage of Internet users in 1990 to approximately 75.8% in 2008 according to World Bank, World Development Indicators.  This percentage of Internet users equates to approximately 220,000,000 American citizens.  Also, the US Census Bureau reported 47% of all retail purchases in 2008 were made online (roughly $107,000,000,000).  Lastly, consumer advocate website www.givemebackmycredit.com indicates that a study by Javelin Strategy reported 9.9 millions victims of identity theft that same year.  In 2008 there were 281 million Americans reported by the US Census Bureau.  When you put all of these numbers together it equates to 35% of the American population experiencing identity theft in 2008.  In this article we share the most effective ways to protect your identity when it comes to your personal information.

Much of this information is courtesy of OnGuardOnline.gov and ftc.gov/idtheft.

Steps to Protect Your Personal Information

1. If you’re asked for your personal information – your name, email or home address, phone number, account numbers, or Social Security number – find out how it’s going to be used and how it will be protected before you share it.  Teach your children to do this too.
2. If you get an email or pop-up message asking for personal information, don’t reply or click on the link in the message.  Contact the company directly by phone representing emails asking for personal information if you recognize them.  Email is NOT a secure transmission method to ever send personal information.
3. When shopping online, don’t provide your personal or financial information through a company’s website until you have checked for indicators that thee site is secure, like a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a  website URL that begins “https:”.
4. Read website privacy policies (usually listed in the footer of the website’s home page).  They should explain what personal information the website collects, how the information is used, and whether it is provided to third parties.

Phishing and File-Sharing

“Phishers” send spam or pop-up messages claiming to be from a business or organization that you might deal with – for example, an Internet Service Provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or even a government agency.  The message usually says that you need to “update” or “validate” your account information.  The message will then direct you to another website that looks legitimate.  The purpose is to trick you into divulging your personal information for identity theft.  Always double-check these “update” or “validate” requests by contacting the phone number on your paper statements, credit cards, or files.

Forward spam that is phishing for information to spam@uce.gov and to the company, bank, or organization impersonated in the phishing email.

Every day, millions of computer users share files online.  File-sharing can give people access to a wealth of information including games, music, and software.  However, file-sharing can have a number of risks.  If you don’t check the proper settings, you could allow access not just to the files you intend to share, but also to other information on your hard drive, like your tax returns, email messages, medical records, photos, or other personal documents.

Virus and Spyware.

Anti-virus software protects you computer from viruses that can destroy your data, slow you computer’s performance, cause a crash, or even allow spammers to send email through your account.  It works by scanning your computer and your incoming email of viruses, and then deleting them.

Spyware software monitors or controls your computer’s use.  It may be used to send you pop-up ads, redirect your computer to websites, monitor your Internet surfing, or record your keystrokes, which, in turn, could lead to the theft of your personal information.  To reduce your vulnerability to spyware you can update your operating system and web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc).  Also, only download software from websites you know and trust.

Password Protection and Backups.

Keep your passwords in a secure place, and out of plain view.  Don‘t share your passwords on the Internet, over email, or on the phone.  Your ISP should never ask for your password.

1. Hackers may try to figure out your passwords to gain access to your computer.  To make it tougher for them:
2. Use passwords that have at least eight characters and include numbers or symbols.
3. Avoid common words:  Some hackers use programs that can try every word in teh dictionary.
4. Dont use your personal information, your login name, or adjacent keys on the keyboard as passwords.
5. Change your passwords regularly (at a minimum, every 90 days).
6. Don’t use the same password for each online account you access.
7. Utilize the online password encryption and storage tool www.Roboform.com for assistance.

Back Up Important Files

No system is completely secure or free from crashes.  If you have important files stored on your computer, copy them onto a removable hard drive and store them in a safe place such as a fire-resistant safe.

Who to Contact if Something Online Goes Wrong.

HACKING:   If your computer gets hacked or infected by a virus:

1. Immediately disconnect your machine from the Internet.  Then scan your entire computer with fully updated anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and update your firewall.
2. If your computer is infected and you can’t get it to recover any other way, you can buy software to “wipe” – or erase – the hard drive.  You’d then have to reinstall the operating system, and any other files you wish to use.
3. Take steps to minimize the chances of another incident.
4. Alert the appropriate authorities by contacting:

• Your ISP of the hacker’s ISP.
• The FBI at www.ic3.gov

INTERNET FRAUD: If a scammer takes advantage of you through an Internet auction, when you’re shopping online, or in any other way, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov).

DECEPTIVE SPAM:  If you get deceptive spam, including email phishing for your information, forward it to spam@uce.gov.  Be sure to include the full header of the email, including all routing information.  You also may report phishing email to reportphishing@antiphishing.org.

DIVULGING PERSONAL INFORMATION:  If you believe you have mistakenly given your information to a fraudster, file a complaint at www.ftc.org and then visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft website at www.ftc.gov/idtheft to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from a potential theft of your identity.