Watch out for Online Identity Theft

In this day and age, most of us spend our time online. Whether it’s on social media, online shopping or informative pages – you’ll find it hard to disagree with us that crucial information related to ourselves dwells in the online world.

This presents an idyllic opening for the cyber-criminals who want to steal your online identity to imitate you in order to launder money, make illegal purchases and accomplish a variety of other malicious objectives.

According to a recent estimate, identity theft causes $50-billion worth of financial loss annually. For some people, identity theft can cause minor inconvenience that could be quickly remedied. For many others, it can cause serious damage to their financial situation and overall reputation.

How do they steal an online identity from us?

Back in the day, identity theft transpired when a criminal stole your mail, personal bank receipts, wallets with credit cards, etc.

In the digitally connected world, however, this can happen in a variety of ways:

• Through independent phishing websites with that one sole purpose
• Malware that gets installed on computers or smartphones through downloads
• Transacting via ATM which has been rigged to skim information
• Sharing passwords with dishonest people who imitate important figures
• Fake social profiles to catfish your details
• Remote access
• By use of private pharming websites

Though it’s essential to stay alert, you can safeguard your identity by being vigilant and following certain steps.

Are there any essential steps in preventing identity theft?

Rather than confronting issues head on, it’s sensible to take some cautionary measures. Here is how you can reduce your risk.

 Keep your computer and smartphones equipped with the most modern antivirus and anti-malware software. Good quality software helps you in contending with most malware, spyware, and keyloggers.

2. Be vigilant when using ATMs

While using an ATM, make sure you hide your PIN to avoid being discovered by a hidden camera.

3. Passwords

Always keep unique passwords for various websites and social media platforms. Make sure your passwords are robust enough to be almost cryptic. To help you remember all the passwords, use a password manager coupled with MFA.

4. Watch out for all the spam & junk mail

Be cautious for emails that pop-up in your inbox, seeming to be from a trustworthy website or source that ask you to download something. Double-check with the source mentioned to ensure their trustworthiness.

5. Be careful when using Social Media

The best way to counteract someone trying to steal your information is by constraining their access to it to begin with. Limit your distribution of information.

Follow these easy steps to keep a check on your data and information. Keep an eye on new information, and become aware of new ways to protect yourself digitally.

We're Aabyss and we can better secure your all-important data

If you’re concerned about your cyber security and protecting your private data, we can help.

We’re Aabyss and we have years of experience in supporting businesses in the North West with cyber security, among many other technology challenges. Through our internationally recognised approach, we’ll get to know your business and create the most appropriate solution to meet your commercial and operational requirements.

If you have any concerns or would like to discuss the challenges you face, please contact the team today to book your free discovery meeting.