5 Tips on How To Prevent Identity Theft

I started looking into what criminals can do with your personal data and realized just how damaging and common it is. Scam artists often use stolen personal information, like Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, PINs and other sensitive information to commit various types of fraud, from taking out credit cards in a victim’s name or using a stolen identity to get a job. In 2012 alone, about 28 million Americans became identity theft victims in one way or another. Hopefully with these tips you can protect yourself from a growing threat to our privacy, courtesy of Dolack Insurance.

1. Get security software that updates automatically. As the efforts to outmaneuver identity thieves evolve, so do the thieves’ tactics. One way to combat this is to make sure that the security software, operating system and browsers on your computer are up-to-date. You can usually set these programs to update automatically.
2. Set up an external drive for data storage. Also back up your computer data with an external hard drive. You may also want to consider printing off your most important files, such as financial documents and family photos, so if your digital copies are compromised, you’ll have hard copies. Store the drive or hard copies in a fireproof safe or emergency kit.
3. Put it in the cloud. Like your laptop, computer or smartphone, external hard drives are vulnerable to fire, flood or theft. Back up your data to an online data storage server, also known as keeping it “in the cloud,”which means that it is protected no matter what happens to your home. A paid storage provider will archive all your files, which you can access via a user-friendly website. 
4. Strengthen your passwords. Never use the same password for more than one account login. Be creative with your passwords Think of a phrase or word and then substituting numbers and symbols for some of the letters.
5. Encrypt your data. Guard online transactions by using an encrypted, secure connection. Not sure if a site is encrypted? Check your browser’s status bar. A “lock” symbol means that your data can be safely exchanged. Save personal financial transactions, like checking a bank account balance, for secure networks. 
6.  Be careful about unsecured wifi.  An unsecured network means anyone can see what data you send and receive.  Public wifi is convenient, but be careful not to visit any sites where you give out your personal information. It's also wise to keep your home wifi secure, anyone can sit in a car and access your information if they desire.

Above all, use common sense when on the internet. Criminals disguise the malicious contents as free offers, giveaways, to good to be true advertisements, and e-mails from unfamiliar contacts.  By following all these precautions, hopefully one accidental click won't crash your computer or, more importantly, destroy your identity.

Thanks for taking the time to view our blog.  We try our best to provide information content on how to protect yourself from some of the more expensive problems life can throw our way. For a Free Louisville Insurance Quote, visit DolackInsurance.com, or call us at 502-333-0577 for a Free Consultation.