5 Tips for Avoiding Identity Theft

Today’s modern society relies on data more than at any time in history. Every day, trillions of electronic communications fill the airwaves in a never-ending invisible sea of information. It is said that all content produced by humankind since the beginning of history, is now replicated every 48 hours. Isn’t that incredible?

With this tremendous flow of data, you may be exposed to the risk of identity theft and fraud. Safeguarding your personal information has become a necessity. There are online and offline criminals looking to take advantage of soft targets that are not prepared to deal with their creative criminal strategies. Here are five tips to help you tighten up the security around your personal data.

#1 Never use public Wi-fi

Public wi-fi hotspots are a hackers paradise. The next time you are in your local coffee shop and log online, take a minute to think about the risk that you have opened yourself up to. Hackers can easily compromise-free wi-fi networks and penetrate your device.

Rather than expose yourself to this risk to simply save a few MB of your own data, use your mobile data when you are in public hotspots and avoid having your device hacked.

#2 Use a payment service provider

Dropping your credit or debit cards details at every online retailer will eventually come back to haunt you. Many niche sites simply do not have adequate security around them. Hackers can follow your digital footprint and steal your card info from sites with weak security.

If the site itself is compromised, then hackers may steal your card information along with other customers.

Avoid this calamity by using a payment service provider like Google Checkout or Paypal. These services allow you to enter your card info on their platform and then shop at a wide variety of retailers. You can then use your payment service to checkout, rather than your card.

#3 Keep your passwords secure

Password security is essential. Don’t use the same password for all your online accounts, this practice could land you in hot water. Instead, check out an online password generator. The password generator will create a random password for you, simply log them all in a spreadsheet and then change them every six to eight months.

#4 Don’t allow anyone to photocopy of your cards

Never, ever allow anyone to photocopy your card for anything. Some stores require this as proof of ID to stop fraud. However, your card details could be sold onto criminals by corrupt employees. Instead walk away from the deal than expose yourself to fraud.

#5 Protect your RFID chips

Another offline scam gaining traction is RFID data theft. RFID chips are found in your bank cards and passport, and they hold your biographical and account information. These chips can be easily scanned using a portable, compact RFID scanner that reads all of the information on your RFID chips.

Avoid this scam by using an RFID wallet, like the model available at Ibricraft. The portfolio contains a thin strip of aluminium embedded into the outer skin of the purse. RFID scanners are unable to penetrate this layer, and your personal data is kept safe.

Stay Alert & Never be Caught Out

Implement this few tips and you greatly improve the security of your online and offline data. Protect yourself from unseen threats and give yourself peace of mind.