Securing Your Online Persona

I find it amazing how much identity theft there is in the world today. It’s not the fact that there are criminals out there doing this sort of activity, but more so that we, as internet users, continue to give these criminals the fodder they need to be successful.

For example, like many of you, I have a Facebook page. I also keep a LinkedIn account to maintain my professional and industry-related contacts. It’s shocking to me that when I visit the pages of friends, they are displaying not only their cell phone and home phones, but email addresses, employers (previous and present), birthdays and vacation schedules. As if it weren’t bad enough that someone can clearly see your name and where you live by default, these people are supplying personal information to a cyber-world that is wrought with criminal activity.

Here are some profound stats on Identity Theft courtesy of PR Newswire and Javelin Strategy and Research (Javelin Study on ID Theft):

• 11.1 million adults were victims of identity theft in 2009
• The average victim spent 21 hours and $373 out of pocket resolving the crime
• 4.8% of the population was a victim of identity fraud in 2009
• 13% of identity fraud crimes were committed by someone the victim knew

The fact that 13% of the crimes were conducted by people known to the victim is scary, but the reality is when you make public everything about you that is supposed to be private, the only thing you are doing is setting yourself up for disaster. (For other pitfalls of posting your daily life on Facebook, or other sites, check out this link: Facebook No-No. On a side note, posting on Facebook that you aren’t going to be home for a week may seem cool, but it’s not a good idea).

In all fairness, I can’t just point the finger at social media sites for being to blame for the staggering numbers posted in the study, but when you think about it, where else do people provide enough information about themselves to the point where they have the potential to become victims? 

The use, or misuse, of email has also been a major factor in the rise of Identity Theft. Phishing has unfortunately allowed scammers and spammers to trick email users into inadvertently divulging personal information. Pretty much all phishing attacks can be thwarted by one simple act: Do not click on website links within emails.  

Identity Theft is not fun. I hope that those of you who are reading this never have to experience it. I have, and it was aggravating.  There is no guarantee that it will never happen to you, and as careful as I am, I still became a victim of it years ago.

Here are some tips to help prevent you from exposure:

1. Don’t post personal information on your social media sites. Your friends already know your telephone number, birthday and where you live.
2. As tempting as it may be, I would recommend staying away from Social Media features that allow you to “check-in” to places. It lets others know of the one place where you aren’t: Home.
3. If you are accessing the internet via a public gateway, like a coffee shop, limit your activity. Don’t check your bank account from a Starbucks, because you never know who might be capturing the information you are providing.
4. Don’t respond to Phishing emails and definitely don’t click on links in emails from unsolicited senders. Trust me, if you’d won the lottery, you would know it and it wouldn’t take the treasurer of some faraway island to notify you!

Don’t be fooled by the craftiness that scammers come up with.  I can guarantee that you have worked too hard for too long to let someone come along and swindle you. Identify Theft can affect all aspects of your personal life. The more careful you are with how you portray yourself online, the safer you will be, and hopefully, the less heartache you’ll have to endure.

Remember, there is no guarantee against falling prey to Identity Theft, but there are definitely ways to make it that much harder for the bad guys. Be smart, be safe.

*Commercial data breaches are the primary reason for identity theft and fraud. Unfortunately for you and I, as consumers, there is little we can do under those circumstances. This post is intended to provide awareness and suggestions to help prevent readers from inadvertently exposing themselves to identity theft.