Founder & CEO of MovoCash, Inc., where he’s combining the best of banking & blockchain through MOVO, a highly secure payment card platform.
Aspects of the fintech industry are in decline (e.g., stock price and valuation), and one cause may be a lack of security and an all-out assault by fraudsters (scammers, bad actors, etc.). A downturn in the economy doesn’t help, either.
Here are two issues and what users can do about them today, in simple terms.
1. First, fintech fraud can happen when scammers are able to sign up and use their app accounts to steal your money and launder it. Let’s stop the bad actors at sign-up.
2. Second, fraud can happen when valid users get scammed by giving their primary credit or debit card info to pay vendors they don’t know well (fraudsters as vendors). Let’s not give anyone the keys to our house or to our fintech balances.
Here are a few use cases that can help the non-expert better understand these security issues both at sign-up and during card use. See the suggested hints below for ideas to stop fraudsters.
Use Case #1: Find out if your fintech uses “push” and/or “pull” techniques to move your money into and out of your fintech account.
In a pull format, a fraudster can pretend to be you from within the fintech app (using your stolen credentials) and access your bank account via pull-access tools that act as the “middleman” between your fintech app and your bank. Then, they can send your money into their fraudulent fintech accounts, where it can be sent and spent freely.
That’s a major exposure. In a push format, the sender of money (you) must be inside of your trusted financial institution’s system/portal (your bank) and have full and secure access to all your money. Then you can confidentially send (push) it into your fintech account. That’s a lot harder for a fraudster to accomplish and means it’s far more likely to be you and not a bad actor.
Hint: Push for (look for) push only.
Use Case #2: Ideally, never give your primary card info (16 digits, expiration date and CVC) to anyone online or offline, be it card-on-file, for a subscription, a membership, a dinner or to pay for any product or service. Especially where the vendor has any capability to charge you more than you decided to initially pay them or the capability to charge you again at the end of some period, even after you told them to stop. Unfortunately, vendors can be scammers as well.
Hint: Look for multiuse virtual cards that disconnect from the primary card and its balances. These secondary cards can be instantly created and funded for the exact payment amount and be added to a digital wallet (e.g., Apple Pay, PayPal or similar) for hands-free ease of use without a physical card in hand. This gives you options and better control of your money when sending or spending it.
Another approach that can help is using PayPal to protect your primary credit or debit card, but even PayPal can have issues that can put users at risk of fraud. Fraud can hit both buyers and sellers, per government studies.
Use Case #3: The harder it is to sign up, the better! I know that’s tough to accept. But if a fintech lets you in too easily, then your assets are not as safe as they could be, as bad actors may be looking to join as users and create problems for you. Yes, it’s a pain to prove who you are sometimes, but without that, your money isn’t as safe and secure. And it’s mainly at sign-up. Just make sure your fintech is well known, highly rated and FDIC insured so you can share your personal info with confidence.
Hint: Don’t give up just because fintech wants to know so much about you. It’s actually a good sign and in your best interests!
Use Case #4: Be sure your fintech consistently monitors activity to watch for potentially fraudulent activity and then takes action, where necessary. If you’re a good user and they raise an issue with you, don’t be upset. In the long run, such security works to your advantage and the entire community.
Hint: Expect scrutiny along the way; it’s a good thing.
Use Case #5: Lastly, don’t be lax with card use just because you think the fintech and/or underlying bank will simply cover you in case of any fraudulent activity. They may cover you, but there are situations where they may not (e.g., if you’re slow in reporting the fraud), and the hassle factor is huge when having to change any and all legitimate and trusted card-on-file relationships you have. Plus, there are differences in the protection guarantees between credit cards and debit cards that may surprise you.
Hint: Don’t take unnecessary risks with your card info; it may eventually come back to bite you.
Per Bankrate.com: “Credit cards offer a few fraud protection benefits that debit cards don’t. Nearly all of today’s top credit cards offer zero fraud liability on unauthorized charges, which means you won’t owe a penny on any charge determined to be fraudulent. Debit cards also limit your fraud liability but require you to report your lost or stolen card within two business days to limit your liability to $50.
If you report after two business days but before 60, your liability goes up to $500. If just your debit card number is stolen and not the card itself, you are not liable for unauthorized charges, as long as you report them within 60 days of receiving your statement.”
Conclusion: Some of the potential solutions to fintech fraud issues are obvious and available today, as pointed out above. (Disclosure: My company provides such fintech solutions.) Once addressed industrywide, fintech has a bright future with a seemingly endless set of features, functions and benefits in the queue. Choose wisely and be aware of the use cases and liability protections discussed above.
The information provided here is not investment, tax or financial advice. You should consult with a licensed professional for advice concerning your specific situation.
The Trends in Security Digital Identities report from the Identity Defined Security Alliance (IDSA) ... [+]getty
Identity is at the core of cybersecurity. Digital identities, such as usernames and passwords, are used to authenticate users and grant access to data and resources. There are other ways for threat actors to get the job done but stealing or compromising a valid identity is often the path of least resistance. The importance of identity security cannot be overstated, as a breach in identity security can have severe consequences for both individuals and organizations.
The explosion of digital identities is just one facet of the larger issue of a vast and expanding attack surface. However, a rise in phishing attacks, the continued growth of cloud computing and SaaS (software-as-a-service) application adoption, and the dramatic shift to remote and work-from-home business models that require workers, contractors, and employees to access network resources securely across the internet, the role of identity security is heightened.
About the IDSA
The Identity Defined Security Alliance (IDSA) is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to promoting best practices in identity security. The organization’s mission is to provide education and resources to help organizations protect their digital identities and secure their systems and data.
There are a variety of white papers, case studies, and other valuable assets available on the IDSA website. The organization released its 2022 Trends in Security Digital Identities report last summer, which provides key insights and useful guidance to help organizations implement effective identity security.
Trends in Securing Digital Identities
The introduction to the report explains, “Many identity stakeholders have responded by prioritizing identity in the past year. For forward-thinking enterprises, identity is not simply the subject of discussions within the human resources department or the help desk team. It is a critical consideration in security planning as well. With identity-related breaches remaining a continual threat, the business impact of handling identity correctly—and incorrectly—has never been more clear.”
The report—based on feedback from a survey of over 500 enterprise organizations with 1000 employees or more—found that 84% of organizations experienced an identity-related breach in the prior year. This is a significant increase from the 79% reported in the previous two years, highlighting the growing threat of identity-related breaches.
As Julie Smith, Executive Director of IDSA, shared on the TechSpective Podcast, “I think the headline, if you were to give it one, is that identity-related breaches continue to happen. And they do impact organizations in pretty significant ways. But there’s investments being made. And that’s maybe where this could help inform organizations on what they should be doing in the next year, and executive leadership support seems to be making a difference.”
The report also found that 96% of the organizations surveyed felt that the breach could have been prevented if they had focused on the right security measures. In other words, with more effective identity security in place, it could have been avoided. This highlights the importance of investing in identity security and implementing best practices to protect digital identities.
Insights and Guidance
One of the primary recommendations by the IDSA is multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA adds an additional layer of security by requiring users to provide two or more forms of identification, such as a password and a fingerprint, before they can access sensitive information and systems. The report found that organizations that implement MFA solutions are less likely to experience identity-related breaches.
Another important aspect of identity security is incident response planning. The IDSA’s report found that organizations that have a well-defined incident response plan in place are better able to contain and mitigate the effects of a breach. This includes having policies and procedures in place for identifying and responding to breaches, as well as having the necessary technologies in place to detect and prevent breaches.
The IDSA report also highlights the importance of employee education and awareness. According to the survey responses, organizations that provide regular training to their employees on identity security are better able to protect their digital identities and respond to breaches.
In conclusion, the IDSA’s 2022 Trends in Securing Digital Identities report provides valuable insights into the state of identity security in organizations. The report highlights the growing threat of identity-related breaches and the importance of investing in identity security and implementing best practices to protect digital identities. Multi-factor authentication, incident response planning, and employee education and awareness are key measures recommended by the IDSA to protect digital identities and prevent breaches.
That sad-sounding email may not be on the level…getty
Financial trickery is an ongoing problem, and it’s amazing how successful it often is.Rick Kahler, president of Kahler Financial Group in Rapid City, S. D., has an eagle eye for such frauds. Here are his tips to avoid being gulled.
Larry Light: Ours is a cynical age. You’d think people would be more wise to attempted cons.
Rick Kahler: Financial scams and con artists have probably been around at least as long as people have been using money. In the past when I read stories about scams, I often wondered how people could be so gullible. I assumed that the victims of fraud were the vulnerable elderly or less educated, had suffered a recent loss of a loved one, or were isolated. This is not necessarily the case.
While some data suggests that one in five of those over age 65 have been targeted by email scammers, being scammed can happen to anyone. Nobody is immune to fraud, and sometimes people simply fall for scams due to the psychological techniques employed by fraudsters. Often, their strategies are meant to take advantage of our desire to give.
Light: What are some of the most widely used scams?
Kahler: Shipping and mailing is a big one. If you’re sending gifts, be suspicious if you get an email or text message that appears to be from UPS, FedEx or the U.S. post office. One scam involves sending messages that you need to pay a fee for a missed delivery, which is an attempt to lure you to a fake website that asks for your credit or debit card information.
Hang onto receipts that include tracking numbers in case you need to find a misdelivered package. It’s also a good idea to let recipients know the tracking number and the expected date of delivery to help them guard against packages being stolen by porch pirates.
Mail checks or gift cards at the post office or a drop box rather than putting them in your home mailbox. A friend of mine had thieves steal a check out of her mailbox, alter the payee and amount, and try to cash it at her bank. Fortunately, an alert teller refused the transaction and also called the police with information about the thieves’ car, and they were caught. Stolen checks can also be used for identity theft or sold on the dark web.
Light: Yikes. What else?
Kahler: Then there’s the family-member-in-need scam. A standard phone scam targeting grandparents is the call from someone claiming to be “your oldest grandson,” who is in trouble and needs money urgently. A related method sends random text messages pretending to be a family member who has lost their phone. If a parent responds to a text saying “this is my new number,” the scammer then asks for money because of some problem related to losing their phone.
In cases like this, you want to be like one of my clients who got the “grandma, I’m in trouble” phone call. Her oldest grandson has a distinctive voice, so she knew immediately that the call was phony. Instead of responding with the grandson’s name, which is what the scammer hopes for, she just said, “Oh?” and waited. “I won,” she later said proudly, “The scammer hung up on me!”
Light: That’s good to hear. Emotions are great weapons for these crooks.
Kahler: Charitable giving scams depend on that. Scammers may pose as well-known legitimate charities or use fake names similar to those of real organizations. They might also take advantage of our desire to help by inventing stories of children with acute illnesses or using current events like the war in Ukraine or natural disasters.
Be alert for charities with unfamiliar names, websites that don’t look quite right and texts or emails from unverified sources. Instead of responding to an unsolicited message asking for donations, do your own search for a legitimate charity’s website and initiate your donation there.
Where scammers are concerned, suspicion is a good idea.
Photo illustration by Natalie Matthews-Ramo/Slate. Photo by Utkarxh Rathore/Unsplash.
One day, B.J. Mendelson was playing Roblox with his school-aged nieces when suddenly, he heard a stranger’s voice come out of one of their iPads. A longtime digital security buff, he was pretty creeped out. He knew how to keep himself secure online, but the incident brought home just how many opportunities for privacy breaches there are lurking in everyday devices. Most people, including his own brother and sister-in-law, operate them without a playbook.
That’s why this fall, he decided to start a podcast miniseries with the goal of making digital privacy more accessible. Sexy, even. The result is Stupid Sexy Privacy, a show in which he and co-host Rosie Tran give listeners bite-size, actionable tips on dealing with basic tech stuff like password management, not letting your car harvest your data, and whatever Elon Musk is doing to Twitter. Mendelson was kind enough to share some of these pearls of privacy wisdom with Slate, though you should probably get a VPN before you read them.
This interview has been condensed and edited from two conversations for clarity.
Heather Schwedel: Let’s consider the hypothetical person who knows absolutely nothing about privacy—what are some things they can do to improve their security, like, right this second?
B.J. Mendelson: Use the right browser and get a forwarding email address. I use DuckDuckGo and an @duck email address. These days, most marketing emails have trackers in them that collect data about you. The @duck forwarding address strips away the tracker and forwards it to your real email so you can get messages without companies collecting your information.
You can also use ClamAV to look for malicious software, and use Signal for messaging. Signal is great—it’s not sophisticated, it has a lot of fun features, there’s a group chat option, and it lets you chat securely with your friends and family without worrying whether someone can access your messages. If I can get people reading this to just switch to Signal, I’ve already done a large part of my job.
Also, get a VPN (virtual private network.) It disguises your web activity and limits the data your internet service provider can collect about you.
I thought a VPN was for like, watching streaming services from other countries and buying dark-web drugs. Do I, an average person, really need one?
If you’re at home, then you don’t have to worry about it. But if you’re out and using public Wi-Fi, you absolutely do. Something like 90 percent of Gen Z and millennials own a smartphone. [Actually, it’s roughly 98 percent for Gen Z and 94 percent for millennials.] We’re all out and about using and connecting to different Wi-Fis that are probably not secure. That’s a serious thing. That’s why I use tools like Proton VPN, which has an app. You fire it up, and then off you go.
If you’re going through a breakup, and you’ve shared your device with that partner, you absolutely need a new device. It’s the only way to guarantee that there’s not a keylogger—which lets the person who installed it monitor every single thing you enter on your keyboard, including passwords, emails, etc.—or some other kind of spyware that they’ve put on there.
When I heard that tip, I balked at the idea that it was easy. First of all, you recommend getting a new Mac, which is expensive!
You’re right, it is expensive. And it sucks. And I wish that there was an alternative. But for most people, that is the easiest, most basic way for them to protect themselves.
It also struck me as a little extreme to get a new computer every time you go through a breakup. In a lot of cases, you were with a decent person and it just didn’t work out—should you really be afraid of them?
That’s always the question, right? In the privacy space, they talk about threat vectors, which is really just a nice way of asking what the probability is that someone’s going to do something shitty to you. But, it’s easy to be evil today. Revenge porn is unfortunately a huge thing. That’s why we talk about this stuff.
But you’re right. I have a couple of ex-girlfriends who’ve had access to my stuff. Am I concerned that they’re spying on me? No. But is the possibility there? The possibility is always there.
These costs must start to add up. How much money do you personally spend on privacy stuff annually?
Signal is free. DuckDuckGo is free. The DuckDuckGo forwarding email address is free. ClamAV is free. Proton VPN is one regular expense, which is about $100 a year. Again, the nice thing about privacy is that a lot of this stuff is open-source , which means it’s freely available, and the incentive is usually to protect users rather than turn a profit. There are services like 1Password that I also pay for.
DeleteMe, the other service that I think everyone needs, is also unfortunately expensive. It’s a tool that removes personal data captured by data brokers. If you’ve got two weeks’ worth of free time, you can go to all 600 of those data brokers yourself and fill out a form on their individual websites, which is often buried under a bunch of legalese. In doing so, you might even create more data that then go back to them. So what DeleteMe does is constantly look for your information and then scrub it again, which saves you time. I paid about $250 for it.
All told, I spend about $300 or $350 a year on privacy stuff. And I want to be clear: That sucks. I should not have to pay for this. Something like DeleteMe should be something that’s government-funded so that everyone can use it.
What’s the dumbest infosec mistake you see people make?
Clicking on suspicious links in emails and texts. We all fall for it. I’ve fallen for it. My dad recently fell for it. Just understand that not everything you get is safe, especially in email. There’s a company that I do some work with, and we constantly get phishing emails that look like they’re from the CEO. Everything looks so legit and sophisticated that people click on it. And so that’s been the most common thing.
People need to look for typos and spelling errors in these emails. And to check if the domain from the sender was correct. What does the website look like when you do click through? And if you do click, please, for the love of God, do it using Tor. Any time that you’re suspicious of a link, if you’re on a desktop, you can just download Tor and then pop the link in there. That’s a secure way to look at a link without having to worry about it hijacking your system.
Your first book about privacy came out a few years ago, and you’re working on a new one now. What would you say have been the biggest changes in this landscape since the last book came out?
Definitely this thing that’s going on with Twitter. But before that, it was the scope and scale of Russia’s hacking of the DNC [Democratic National Committee]. We didn’t know how deep it was. But I think the level of sophistication is something that people should be aware of.
Here’s the scary thing: The tools and tactics that Russia used have now been co-opted by Republican operatives, fascists, and other weirdos to harass people, dox them, and spread misinformation. Things like trying to smear people with old tweets or things that have been taken out of context have also become so much more common and aggressive for the day-to-day person. When I first wrote the book, we were talking about governments, journalists, and big organizations being hit with these attacks, but now we’re all dealing with it.
I definitely want to talk about Twitter. What should people do about Twitter right now?
If you’re going to stay, the first thing you want to do is protect your tweets by going into your settings, then the Privacy and Safety tab, then clicking Audience and Tagging. That makes them private, so only the people who follow you can see them. This matters, because what’s going to happen when Musk rolls out the new Twitter Blue? If you look at the ad for Twitter Blue, it says, “Rocket straight to the top of @-messages and DMs.” If I were a bad actor, I could purchase Twitter Blue and just start harassing people in a way that’s harder to ignore. Protecting your tweets can help.
The second thing is to use a YubiKey, Google Authenticator, or Authy. Google Authenticator and Authy are two-factor authentication apps that are more secure than SMS. But the most secure option is a YubiKey, which is a physical key that plugs into your USB drive or phone that you need to have with you to log in to Twitter.
The third thing, and this gets into legal territory, is to delete your DMs in case someone breaks into your account. The response that I’ve gotten to this is, “Well, that doesn’t delete them from Twitter servers.” Two things to say about that: First, you should delete all your past and future Twitter DMs just in case someone breaks into your account and finds information that could be used to break into your other accounts.
Secondly, if Twitter employees access your DMs, the company is liable under the Stored Communications Act. Corporate employees of companies like Facebook and Google can face criminal charges for accessing this sort of private information and using it in certain ways.
I think there is a real risk that if you’re the average person using Twitter, you can still be hacked. Plus, privacy is a thing that we need to do together. Not only are you protecting yourself, but you’re also protecting other people whom you’ve had conversations with.
Another idea I’ve always been suspicious of is that I need to put a sticker on my laptop camera.
Again, it’s a crime of opportunity. Let’s say you’re at work, and there’s a breach in the company server. If that happens, people can find a way to get on to your laptop, and it’s entirely possible they could activate your microphone and your video camera without you knowing. For a long time, I was telling people to just put a Post-it note over the camera. I know it sounds silly, but it’s a legit concern.
Just talking about hidden cameras for a second, that’s a global epidemic around the world that adversely affects women. And so, getting an RF detector—a small device that detects hidden cameras—can go a long way to keeping yourself and your privacy secure. You can also get a mic blocker to disable mic access so no apps on your phone can listen to you.
OK, one more question. What is the sexiest thing about privacy?
There’s nothing sexier than being able to share images and videos with your partner, especially during times like a pandemic, and not having to worry about, “Oh my God, this is gonna wind up on some guy’s hard drive or website?”
I think intimacy with the knowledge of security is very sexy.
There are more and more remote workers in the modern age. Companies are realizing how effective it can be to have their staff based at home and opening up the possibilities of employing people without having to worry too much about where they are based. Generally, most of the consequences that happen after your identity is stolen have some sort of financial gain for the criminal.
As a remote worker, it could be that someone is looking to steal your data to gain access to the company you work for. Organizations need to be especially careful. As an employee, this doesn’t fall solely on you, but it is important that you consider the best practices for keeping data safe.
How to Prevent Identity Theft
If you’ve found this article in advance of having to deal with the consequences of identity theft then there is still a lot you can do to hopefully ensure you never have to deal with it happening to you. If you are working for a large company or your data is particularly sensitive, it makes sense to outsource all of your online security. There are organizations that know exactly how to keep your ID safe and secure and can help both individuals and organizations, even large organizations might find that they are lacking in precautions.
The best thing to do for peace of mind is to work with the professionals and make sure that identity theft doesn’t become a big hassle for you in the future. Now, this might be a different story for business owners who work remotely. Many remote business owners get targeted for online identity theft. This can prove deadly for the business; many businesses fail right after they get their online security breaches.
It is essential for every company on the internet to implement security measures for it to succeed. This could be achieved either by outsourcing your identity security or, you can do it yourself. Even though it is advised to leave it to the professionals, you can still tackle this problem and be safe on the internet:The most important thing you should do is doing your research thoroughly regarding this issue.
It is essential because it not only involves buying software or implementing new technology. It also requires education and hours of reading and watching videos. Hence, it is more complicated than you think. You may find more information here.
There are some basic things you can do: Change passwords regularly and generate them rather than just use your cat’s name! People will find a way to get through basic and simple passwords so they should use a lot of different characters. Never automatically trust a link that is sent to you. Check if the website is secure and don’t put any details in on a site that you have even one doubt about. Things like online banking are prime examples.
Always visit their sites through your browser rather than just clicking on a link in an email. This is prime for someone to take advantage of phishing. Have a high-quality anti-virus on your computer. If you are running a big company then you should definitely ensure you have access to this for all of your staff. Don’t mix work and personal life. A working computer should be for work and your personal devices should be for your own accounts on things. If you log into work emails on a laptop that is yours, and you don’t take the right precautions, you could be accountable if anything happens.
How to Tackle Identity Theft When it Happens
If the worst does happen and you find yourself a victim of identity theft, don’t panic. There are steps you can take to try and minimize the damage. If you want to, you can contact the specialists. Again, there are specific companies who can deal with identity theft and help you to ensure that you deal with everything in the correct manner, rather than making mistakes along the way. You should look to get a fraud alert put on your credit report, this can limit the damage of any credit taken out fraudulently in your name.
Report to the FTC. This is one of the first steps you can take. There is a simple form that you can fill in on an FTC site, IdentityTheft.gov or you can call to speak to a member of staff. Try to gain as much evidence as you can when you are talking to them, ready to show exactly what is happening to your accounts. Go to your local police. Different police forces deal with the issues in different ways and the location where the offense happened might play a part, but authorities should be alerted straight away. Freeze credit cards and bank accounts. Stop anything negative from happening while you wait to establish what steps you are going to take.
Freezing lines of credit can allow you to ensure that you do not run up further debts without spending anything! Your credit card might be being used on the other side of the world. Change all of your passwords. One breach is enough to ensure that you should get new passwords for every account you have including social media. Alert your work if using a work laptop or if the ID theft is in any way linked. If you fear that these details could lead to issues for your workplace then there is no way you should keep it from them. If you need to, you can still contact specialists in identity theft who can walk you through all of the steps required to try to get your life back on track.
Conclusion
There is no denying that identity theft can have a huge negative impact on your life, and even on those close to you. If it isn’t properly dealt with then it could keep having an effect decades into the future. If you haven’t suffered from ID theft yet then you can take steps to ensure your security. If you are working with a company and are worried about their data then this is another reason to take security seriously.
Just a few simple precautions can make all the difference, and you need to know what techniques and tactics current fraudsters are using to try and steal your information.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
You need to have your guard up. Identity theft is becoming more sophisticated and people will always look for new ways to get your personal information. For a criminal, it can be very lucrative.
What Happens When Your Identity is Stolen?
Identity theft can lead to your data being sold. People sell it on the dark web, and this means that people all over the world could be using your data to borrow money, make applications, and even commit other crimes. Generally, most of the consequences that happen after your identity is stolen have some sort of financial gain for the criminal.
As a remote worker, it could be that someone is looking to steal your data to gain access to the company you work for. Organizations need to be especially careful. As an employee, this doesn’t fall solely on you, but it is important that you consider the best practices for keeping data safe.
How to Prevent Identity Theft
If you’ve found this article in advance of having to deal with the consequences of identity theft then there is still a lot you can do to hopefully ensure you never have to deal with it happening to you. If you are working for a large company or your data is particularly sensitive, it makes sense to outsource all of your online security. There are organizations that know exactly how to keep your ID safe and secure and can help both individuals and organizations, even large organizations might find that they are lacking in precautions.
The best thing to do for peace of mind is to work with the professionals and make sure that identity theft doesn’t become a big hassle for you in the future. Now, this might be a different story for business owners who work remotely. Many remote business owners get targeted for online identity theft. This can prove deadly for the business; many businesses fail right after they get their online security breaches.
It is essential for every company on the internet to implement security measures for it to succeed. This could be achieved either by outsourcing your identity security or, you can do it yourself. Even though it is advised to leave it to the professionals, you can still tackle this problem and be safe on the internet:The most important thing you should do is doing your research thoroughly regarding this issue.
It is essential because it not only involves buying software or implementing new technology. It also requires education and hours of reading and watching videos. Hence, it is more complicated than you think. You may find more information here.
There are some basic things you can do: Change passwords regularly and generate them rather than just use your cat’s name! People will find a way to get through basic and simple passwords so they should use a lot of different characters. Never automatically trust a link that is sent to you. Check if the website is secure and don’t put any details in on a site that you have even one doubt about. Things like online banking are prime examples.
Always visit their sites through your browser rather than just clicking on a link in an email. This is prime for someone to take advantage of phishing. Have a high-quality anti-virus on your computer. If you are running a big company then you should definitely ensure you have access to this for all of your staff. Don’t mix work and personal life. A working computer should be for work and your personal devices should be for your own accounts on things. If you log into work emails on a laptop that is yours, and you don’t take the right precautions, you could be accountable if anything happens.
How to Tackle Identity Theft When it Happens
If the worst does happen and you find yourself a victim of identity theft, don’t panic. There are steps you can take to try and minimize the damage. If you want to, you can contact the specialists. Again, there are specific companies who can deal with identity theft and help you to ensure that you deal with everything in the correct manner, rather than making mistakes along the way. You should look to get a fraud alert put on your credit report, this can limit the damage of any credit taken out fraudulently in your name.
Report to the FTC. This is one of the first steps you can take. There is a simple form that you can fill in on an FTC site, IdentityTheft.gov or you can call to speak to a member of staff. Try to gain as much evidence as you can when you are talking to them, ready to show exactly what is happening to your accounts. Go to your local police. Different police forces deal with the issues in different ways and the location where the offense happened might play a part, but authorities should be alerted straight away. Freeze credit cards and bank accounts. Stop anything negative from happening while you wait to establish what steps you are going to take.
Freezing lines of credit can allow you to ensure that you do not run up further debts without spending anything! Your credit card might be being used on the other side of the world. Change all of your passwords. One breach is enough to ensure that you should get new passwords for every account you have including social media. Alert your work if using a work laptop or if the ID theft is in any way linked. If you fear that these details could lead to issues for your workplace then there is no way you should keep it from them. If you need to, you can still contact specialists in identity theft who can walk you through all of the steps required to try to get your life back on track.
Conclusion
There is no denying that identity theft can have a huge negative impact on your life, and even on those close to you. If it isn’t properly dealt with then it could keep having an effect decades into the future. If you haven’t suffered from ID theft yet then you can take steps to ensure your security. If you are working with a company and are worried about their data then this is another reason to take security seriously.
Just a few simple precautions can make all the difference, and you need to know what techniques and tactics current fraudsters are using to try and steal your information.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
How Does Identity Theft Happen?
It is easy to assume that you have done the right things and won’t be a victim. Just changing your password from time to time isn’t necessarily enough. There are lots of ways in which people can steal your ID details online.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
You need to have your guard up. Identity theft is becoming more sophisticated and people will always look for new ways to get your personal information. For a criminal, it can be very lucrative.
What Happens When Your Identity is Stolen?
Identity theft can lead to your data being sold. People sell it on the dark web, and this means that people all over the world could be using your data to borrow money, make applications, and even commit other crimes. Generally, most of the consequences that happen after your identity is stolen have some sort of financial gain for the criminal.
As a remote worker, it could be that someone is looking to steal your data to gain access to the company you work for. Organizations need to be especially careful. As an employee, this doesn’t fall solely on you, but it is important that you consider the best practices for keeping data safe.
How to Prevent Identity Theft
If you’ve found this article in advance of having to deal with the consequences of identity theft then there is still a lot you can do to hopefully ensure you never have to deal with it happening to you. If you are working for a large company or your data is particularly sensitive, it makes sense to outsource all of your online security. There are organizations that know exactly how to keep your ID safe and secure and can help both individuals and organizations, even large organizations might find that they are lacking in precautions.
The best thing to do for peace of mind is to work with the professionals and make sure that identity theft doesn’t become a big hassle for you in the future. Now, this might be a different story for business owners who work remotely. Many remote business owners get targeted for online identity theft. This can prove deadly for the business; many businesses fail right after they get their online security breaches.
It is essential for every company on the internet to implement security measures for it to succeed. This could be achieved either by outsourcing your identity security or, you can do it yourself. Even though it is advised to leave it to the professionals, you can still tackle this problem and be safe on the internet:The most important thing you should do is doing your research thoroughly regarding this issue.
It is essential because it not only involves buying software or implementing new technology. It also requires education and hours of reading and watching videos. Hence, it is more complicated than you think. You may find more information here.
There are some basic things you can do: Change passwords regularly and generate them rather than just use your cat’s name! People will find a way to get through basic and simple passwords so they should use a lot of different characters. Never automatically trust a link that is sent to you. Check if the website is secure and don’t put any details in on a site that you have even one doubt about. Things like online banking are prime examples.
Always visit their sites through your browser rather than just clicking on a link in an email. This is prime for someone to take advantage of phishing. Have a high-quality anti-virus on your computer. If you are running a big company then you should definitely ensure you have access to this for all of your staff. Don’t mix work and personal life. A working computer should be for work and your personal devices should be for your own accounts on things. If you log into work emails on a laptop that is yours, and you don’t take the right precautions, you could be accountable if anything happens.
How to Tackle Identity Theft When it Happens
If the worst does happen and you find yourself a victim of identity theft, don’t panic. There are steps you can take to try and minimize the damage. If you want to, you can contact the specialists. Again, there are specific companies who can deal with identity theft and help you to ensure that you deal with everything in the correct manner, rather than making mistakes along the way. You should look to get a fraud alert put on your credit report, this can limit the damage of any credit taken out fraudulently in your name.
Report to the FTC. This is one of the first steps you can take. There is a simple form that you can fill in on an FTC site, IdentityTheft.gov or you can call to speak to a member of staff. Try to gain as much evidence as you can when you are talking to them, ready to show exactly what is happening to your accounts. Go to your local police. Different police forces deal with the issues in different ways and the location where the offense happened might play a part, but authorities should be alerted straight away. Freeze credit cards and bank accounts. Stop anything negative from happening while you wait to establish what steps you are going to take.
Freezing lines of credit can allow you to ensure that you do not run up further debts without spending anything! Your credit card might be being used on the other side of the world. Change all of your passwords. One breach is enough to ensure that you should get new passwords for every account you have including social media. Alert your work if using a work laptop or if the ID theft is in any way linked. If you fear that these details could lead to issues for your workplace then there is no way you should keep it from them. If you need to, you can still contact specialists in identity theft who can walk you through all of the steps required to try to get your life back on track.
Conclusion
There is no denying that identity theft can have a huge negative impact on your life, and even on those close to you. If it isn’t properly dealt with then it could keep having an effect decades into the future. If you haven’t suffered from ID theft yet then you can take steps to ensure your security. If you are working with a company and are worried about their data then this is another reason to take security seriously.
Just a few simple precautions can make all the difference, and you need to know what techniques and tactics current fraudsters are using to try and steal your information.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
It’s easy to think that identity theft isn’t too much of a big deal or assume that nobody could impersonate you so there’s nothing to worry about. Actually, once they have your details people can take advantage in a lot of different ways. Identity theft crime statistics are scary. 16.7 million people in America suffered some form of identity theft in the year 2017. That figure is continuing to grow. Billions of dollars are stolen every year using identity theft methods.
If you find yourself the victim of identity theft it might be impossible to recover all of the assets you have lost or the damage to your reputation or the company you work for. This means that identity theft is a huge issue that can impact years of your life. Also, people can commit crimes and run up debts in your name. This can leave you facing a legal battle in the future, too. Make no mistake about it, identity theft is incredibly rife and can make an impact for a number of years in the future.
This is not something you will necessarily have out of the way in a matter of weeks. Even if you contact the authorities and explain that you have been the victim of identity theft, the onus might be on you to prove this. Cybercrime is on the rise. 3.2 million identity theft, cybercrime, and other forms of fraud were reported in 2019. As you can see from this article, almost half of the time when people stole someone’s identity, they applied for a credit card. This debt doesn’t automatically get written off. You will need to prove that you were a victim of fraud and take action if this happens to you. Until then the debts could be in your name.
How Does Identity Theft Happen?
It is easy to assume that you have done the right things and won’t be a victim. Just changing your password from time to time isn’t necessarily enough. There are lots of ways in which people can steal your ID details online.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
You need to have your guard up. Identity theft is becoming more sophisticated and people will always look for new ways to get your personal information. For a criminal, it can be very lucrative.
What Happens When Your Identity is Stolen?
Identity theft can lead to your data being sold. People sell it on the dark web, and this means that people all over the world could be using your data to borrow money, make applications, and even commit other crimes. Generally, most of the consequences that happen after your identity is stolen have some sort of financial gain for the criminal.
As a remote worker, it could be that someone is looking to steal your data to gain access to the company you work for. Organizations need to be especially careful. As an employee, this doesn’t fall solely on you, but it is important that you consider the best practices for keeping data safe.
How to Prevent Identity Theft
If you’ve found this article in advance of having to deal with the consequences of identity theft then there is still a lot you can do to hopefully ensure you never have to deal with it happening to you. If you are working for a large company or your data is particularly sensitive, it makes sense to outsource all of your online security. There are organizations that know exactly how to keep your ID safe and secure and can help both individuals and organizations, even large organizations might find that they are lacking in precautions.
The best thing to do for peace of mind is to work with the professionals and make sure that identity theft doesn’t become a big hassle for you in the future. Now, this might be a different story for business owners who work remotely. Many remote business owners get targeted for online identity theft. This can prove deadly for the business; many businesses fail right after they get their online security breaches.
It is essential for every company on the internet to implement security measures for it to succeed. This could be achieved either by outsourcing your identity security or, you can do it yourself. Even though it is advised to leave it to the professionals, you can still tackle this problem and be safe on the internet:The most important thing you should do is doing your research thoroughly regarding this issue.
It is essential because it not only involves buying software or implementing new technology. It also requires education and hours of reading and watching videos. Hence, it is more complicated than you think. You may find more information here.
There are some basic things you can do: Change passwords regularly and generate them rather than just use your cat’s name! People will find a way to get through basic and simple passwords so they should use a lot of different characters. Never automatically trust a link that is sent to you. Check if the website is secure and don’t put any details in on a site that you have even one doubt about. Things like online banking are prime examples.
Always visit their sites through your browser rather than just clicking on a link in an email. This is prime for someone to take advantage of phishing. Have a high-quality anti-virus on your computer. If you are running a big company then you should definitely ensure you have access to this for all of your staff. Don’t mix work and personal life. A working computer should be for work and your personal devices should be for your own accounts on things. If you log into work emails on a laptop that is yours, and you don’t take the right precautions, you could be accountable if anything happens.
How to Tackle Identity Theft When it Happens
If the worst does happen and you find yourself a victim of identity theft, don’t panic. There are steps you can take to try and minimize the damage. If you want to, you can contact the specialists. Again, there are specific companies who can deal with identity theft and help you to ensure that you deal with everything in the correct manner, rather than making mistakes along the way. You should look to get a fraud alert put on your credit report, this can limit the damage of any credit taken out fraudulently in your name.
Report to the FTC. This is one of the first steps you can take. There is a simple form that you can fill in on an FTC site, IdentityTheft.gov or you can call to speak to a member of staff. Try to gain as much evidence as you can when you are talking to them, ready to show exactly what is happening to your accounts. Go to your local police. Different police forces deal with the issues in different ways and the location where the offense happened might play a part, but authorities should be alerted straight away. Freeze credit cards and bank accounts. Stop anything negative from happening while you wait to establish what steps you are going to take.
Freezing lines of credit can allow you to ensure that you do not run up further debts without spending anything! Your credit card might be being used on the other side of the world. Change all of your passwords. One breach is enough to ensure that you should get new passwords for every account you have including social media. Alert your work if using a work laptop or if the ID theft is in any way linked. If you fear that these details could lead to issues for your workplace then there is no way you should keep it from them. If you need to, you can still contact specialists in identity theft who can walk you through all of the steps required to try to get your life back on track.
Conclusion
There is no denying that identity theft can have a huge negative impact on your life, and even on those close to you. If it isn’t properly dealt with then it could keep having an effect decades into the future. If you haven’t suffered from ID theft yet then you can take steps to ensure your security. If you are working with a company and are worried about their data then this is another reason to take security seriously.
Just a few simple precautions can make all the difference, and you need to know what techniques and tactics current fraudsters are using to try and steal your information.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
It’s easy to think that identity theft isn’t too much of a big deal or assume that nobody could impersonate you so there’s nothing to worry about. Actually, once they have your details people can take advantage in a lot of different ways. Identity theft crime statistics are scary. 16.7 million people in America suffered some form of identity theft in the year 2017. That figure is continuing to grow. Billions of dollars are stolen every year using identity theft methods.
If you find yourself the victim of identity theft it might be impossible to recover all of the assets you have lost or the damage to your reputation or the company you work for. This means that identity theft is a huge issue that can impact years of your life. Also, people can commit crimes and run up debts in your name. This can leave you facing a legal battle in the future, too. Make no mistake about it, identity theft is incredibly rife and can make an impact for a number of years in the future.
This is not something you will necessarily have out of the way in a matter of weeks. Even if you contact the authorities and explain that you have been the victim of identity theft, the onus might be on you to prove this. Cybercrime is on the rise. 3.2 million identity theft, cybercrime, and other forms of fraud were reported in 2019. As you can see from this article, almost half of the time when people stole someone’s identity, they applied for a credit card. This debt doesn’t automatically get written off. You will need to prove that you were a victim of fraud and take action if this happens to you. Until then the debts could be in your name.
How Does Identity Theft Happen?
It is easy to assume that you have done the right things and won’t be a victim. Just changing your password from time to time isn’t necessarily enough. There are lots of ways in which people can steal your ID details online.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
You need to have your guard up. Identity theft is becoming more sophisticated and people will always look for new ways to get your personal information. For a criminal, it can be very lucrative.
What Happens When Your Identity is Stolen?
Identity theft can lead to your data being sold. People sell it on the dark web, and this means that people all over the world could be using your data to borrow money, make applications, and even commit other crimes. Generally, most of the consequences that happen after your identity is stolen have some sort of financial gain for the criminal.
As a remote worker, it could be that someone is looking to steal your data to gain access to the company you work for. Organizations need to be especially careful. As an employee, this doesn’t fall solely on you, but it is important that you consider the best practices for keeping data safe.
How to Prevent Identity Theft
If you’ve found this article in advance of having to deal with the consequences of identity theft then there is still a lot you can do to hopefully ensure you never have to deal with it happening to you. If you are working for a large company or your data is particularly sensitive, it makes sense to outsource all of your online security. There are organizations that know exactly how to keep your ID safe and secure and can help both individuals and organizations, even large organizations might find that they are lacking in precautions.
The best thing to do for peace of mind is to work with the professionals and make sure that identity theft doesn’t become a big hassle for you in the future. Now, this might be a different story for business owners who work remotely. Many remote business owners get targeted for online identity theft. This can prove deadly for the business; many businesses fail right after they get their online security breaches.
It is essential for every company on the internet to implement security measures for it to succeed. This could be achieved either by outsourcing your identity security or, you can do it yourself. Even though it is advised to leave it to the professionals, you can still tackle this problem and be safe on the internet:The most important thing you should do is doing your research thoroughly regarding this issue.
It is essential because it not only involves buying software or implementing new technology. It also requires education and hours of reading and watching videos. Hence, it is more complicated than you think. You may find more information here.
There are some basic things you can do: Change passwords regularly and generate them rather than just use your cat’s name! People will find a way to get through basic and simple passwords so they should use a lot of different characters. Never automatically trust a link that is sent to you. Check if the website is secure and don’t put any details in on a site that you have even one doubt about. Things like online banking are prime examples.
Always visit their sites through your browser rather than just clicking on a link in an email. This is prime for someone to take advantage of phishing. Have a high-quality anti-virus on your computer. If you are running a big company then you should definitely ensure you have access to this for all of your staff. Don’t mix work and personal life. A working computer should be for work and your personal devices should be for your own accounts on things. If you log into work emails on a laptop that is yours, and you don’t take the right precautions, you could be accountable if anything happens.
How to Tackle Identity Theft When it Happens
If the worst does happen and you find yourself a victim of identity theft, don’t panic. There are steps you can take to try and minimize the damage. If you want to, you can contact the specialists. Again, there are specific companies who can deal with identity theft and help you to ensure that you deal with everything in the correct manner, rather than making mistakes along the way. You should look to get a fraud alert put on your credit report, this can limit the damage of any credit taken out fraudulently in your name.
Report to the FTC. This is one of the first steps you can take. There is a simple form that you can fill in on an FTC site, IdentityTheft.gov or you can call to speak to a member of staff. Try to gain as much evidence as you can when you are talking to them, ready to show exactly what is happening to your accounts. Go to your local police. Different police forces deal with the issues in different ways and the location where the offense happened might play a part, but authorities should be alerted straight away. Freeze credit cards and bank accounts. Stop anything negative from happening while you wait to establish what steps you are going to take.
Freezing lines of credit can allow you to ensure that you do not run up further debts without spending anything! Your credit card might be being used on the other side of the world. Change all of your passwords. One breach is enough to ensure that you should get new passwords for every account you have including social media. Alert your work if using a work laptop or if the ID theft is in any way linked. If you fear that these details could lead to issues for your workplace then there is no way you should keep it from them. If you need to, you can still contact specialists in identity theft who can walk you through all of the steps required to try to get your life back on track.
Conclusion
There is no denying that identity theft can have a huge negative impact on your life, and even on those close to you. If it isn’t properly dealt with then it could keep having an effect decades into the future. If you haven’t suffered from ID theft yet then you can take steps to ensure your security. If you are working with a company and are worried about their data then this is another reason to take security seriously.
Just a few simple precautions can make all the difference, and you need to know what techniques and tactics current fraudsters are using to try and steal your information.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
Identity theft used to require physical documents to commit this kind of fraud, but now, things have changed. Details can be stolen in a number of ways and networks and websites can be hacked to allow fraudsters to find PII.
How Serious is Identity Theft?
It’s easy to think that identity theft isn’t too much of a big deal or assume that nobody could impersonate you so there’s nothing to worry about. Actually, once they have your details people can take advantage in a lot of different ways. Identity theft crime statistics are scary. 16.7 million people in America suffered some form of identity theft in the year 2017. That figure is continuing to grow. Billions of dollars are stolen every year using identity theft methods.
If you find yourself the victim of identity theft it might be impossible to recover all of the assets you have lost or the damage to your reputation or the company you work for. This means that identity theft is a huge issue that can impact years of your life. Also, people can commit crimes and run up debts in your name. This can leave you facing a legal battle in the future, too. Make no mistake about it, identity theft is incredibly rife and can make an impact for a number of years in the future.
This is not something you will necessarily have out of the way in a matter of weeks. Even if you contact the authorities and explain that you have been the victim of identity theft, the onus might be on you to prove this. Cybercrime is on the rise. 3.2 million identity theft, cybercrime, and other forms of fraud were reported in 2019. As you can see from this article, almost half of the time when people stole someone’s identity, they applied for a credit card. This debt doesn’t automatically get written off. You will need to prove that you were a victim of fraud and take action if this happens to you. Until then the debts could be in your name.
How Does Identity Theft Happen?
It is easy to assume that you have done the right things and won’t be a victim. Just changing your password from time to time isn’t necessarily enough. There are lots of ways in which people can steal your ID details online.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
You need to have your guard up. Identity theft is becoming more sophisticated and people will always look for new ways to get your personal information. For a criminal, it can be very lucrative.
What Happens When Your Identity is Stolen?
Identity theft can lead to your data being sold. People sell it on the dark web, and this means that people all over the world could be using your data to borrow money, make applications, and even commit other crimes. Generally, most of the consequences that happen after your identity is stolen have some sort of financial gain for the criminal.
As a remote worker, it could be that someone is looking to steal your data to gain access to the company you work for. Organizations need to be especially careful. As an employee, this doesn’t fall solely on you, but it is important that you consider the best practices for keeping data safe.
How to Prevent Identity Theft
If you’ve found this article in advance of having to deal with the consequences of identity theft then there is still a lot you can do to hopefully ensure you never have to deal with it happening to you. If you are working for a large company or your data is particularly sensitive, it makes sense to outsource all of your online security. There are organizations that know exactly how to keep your ID safe and secure and can help both individuals and organizations, even large organizations might find that they are lacking in precautions.
The best thing to do for peace of mind is to work with the professionals and make sure that identity theft doesn’t become a big hassle for you in the future. Now, this might be a different story for business owners who work remotely. Many remote business owners get targeted for online identity theft. This can prove deadly for the business; many businesses fail right after they get their online security breaches.
It is essential for every company on the internet to implement security measures for it to succeed. This could be achieved either by outsourcing your identity security or, you can do it yourself. Even though it is advised to leave it to the professionals, you can still tackle this problem and be safe on the internet:The most important thing you should do is doing your research thoroughly regarding this issue.
It is essential because it not only involves buying software or implementing new technology. It also requires education and hours of reading and watching videos. Hence, it is more complicated than you think. You may find more information here.
There are some basic things you can do: Change passwords regularly and generate them rather than just use your cat’s name! People will find a way to get through basic and simple passwords so they should use a lot of different characters. Never automatically trust a link that is sent to you. Check if the website is secure and don’t put any details in on a site that you have even one doubt about. Things like online banking are prime examples.
Always visit their sites through your browser rather than just clicking on a link in an email. This is prime for someone to take advantage of phishing. Have a high-quality anti-virus on your computer. If you are running a big company then you should definitely ensure you have access to this for all of your staff. Don’t mix work and personal life. A working computer should be for work and your personal devices should be for your own accounts on things. If you log into work emails on a laptop that is yours, and you don’t take the right precautions, you could be accountable if anything happens.
How to Tackle Identity Theft When it Happens
If the worst does happen and you find yourself a victim of identity theft, don’t panic. There are steps you can take to try and minimize the damage. If you want to, you can contact the specialists. Again, there are specific companies who can deal with identity theft and help you to ensure that you deal with everything in the correct manner, rather than making mistakes along the way. You should look to get a fraud alert put on your credit report, this can limit the damage of any credit taken out fraudulently in your name.
Report to the FTC. This is one of the first steps you can take. There is a simple form that you can fill in on an FTC site, IdentityTheft.gov or you can call to speak to a member of staff. Try to gain as much evidence as you can when you are talking to them, ready to show exactly what is happening to your accounts. Go to your local police. Different police forces deal with the issues in different ways and the location where the offense happened might play a part, but authorities should be alerted straight away. Freeze credit cards and bank accounts. Stop anything negative from happening while you wait to establish what steps you are going to take.
Freezing lines of credit can allow you to ensure that you do not run up further debts without spending anything! Your credit card might be being used on the other side of the world. Change all of your passwords. One breach is enough to ensure that you should get new passwords for every account you have including social media. Alert your work if using a work laptop or if the ID theft is in any way linked. If you fear that these details could lead to issues for your workplace then there is no way you should keep it from them. If you need to, you can still contact specialists in identity theft who can walk you through all of the steps required to try to get your life back on track.
Conclusion
There is no denying that identity theft can have a huge negative impact on your life, and even on those close to you. If it isn’t properly dealt with then it could keep having an effect decades into the future. If you haven’t suffered from ID theft yet then you can take steps to ensure your security. If you are working with a company and are worried about their data then this is another reason to take security seriously.
Just a few simple precautions can make all the difference, and you need to know what techniques and tactics current fraudsters are using to try and steal your information.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
Identity theft is nothing new. People have been stealing identification via Social Security numbers and other details for a long time, usually by stealing wallets, but historically some people would go through mail to find details for identity theft. In the modern age of the internet, it is easier for people to find personally identifiable information. This is sometimes abbreviated to “PII”. This allows people to commit fraud and pretend to be you. They can sometimes steal money directly in this way, but they can also do things to impact upon your reputation or, in the case of employees they might be able to gain access to company servers or more.
Remote workers need to think about the impact of their identity being stolen, access to their online accounts, and more, but if you don’t take the right precautions you can even be responsible for issues regarding your work details.
Identity theft used to require physical documents to commit this kind of fraud, but now, things have changed. Details can be stolen in a number of ways and networks and websites can be hacked to allow fraudsters to find PII.
How Serious is Identity Theft?
It’s easy to think that identity theft isn’t too much of a big deal or assume that nobody could impersonate you so there’s nothing to worry about. Actually, once they have your details people can take advantage in a lot of different ways. Identity theft crime statistics are scary. 16.7 million people in America suffered some form of identity theft in the year 2017. That figure is continuing to grow. Billions of dollars are stolen every year using identity theft methods.
If you find yourself the victim of identity theft it might be impossible to recover all of the assets you have lost or the damage to your reputation or the company you work for. This means that identity theft is a huge issue that can impact years of your life. Also, people can commit crimes and run up debts in your name. This can leave you facing a legal battle in the future, too. Make no mistake about it, identity theft is incredibly rife and can make an impact for a number of years in the future.
This is not something you will necessarily have out of the way in a matter of weeks. Even if you contact the authorities and explain that you have been the victim of identity theft, the onus might be on you to prove this. Cybercrime is on the rise. 3.2 million identity theft, cybercrime, and other forms of fraud were reported in 2019. As you can see from this article, almost half of the time when people stole someone’s identity, they applied for a credit card. This debt doesn’t automatically get written off. You will need to prove that you were a victim of fraud and take action if this happens to you. Until then the debts could be in your name.
How Does Identity Theft Happen?
It is easy to assume that you have done the right things and won’t be a victim. Just changing your password from time to time isn’t necessarily enough. There are lots of ways in which people can steal your ID details online.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
You need to have your guard up. Identity theft is becoming more sophisticated and people will always look for new ways to get your personal information. For a criminal, it can be very lucrative.
What Happens When Your Identity is Stolen?
Identity theft can lead to your data being sold. People sell it on the dark web, and this means that people all over the world could be using your data to borrow money, make applications, and even commit other crimes. Generally, most of the consequences that happen after your identity is stolen have some sort of financial gain for the criminal.
As a remote worker, it could be that someone is looking to steal your data to gain access to the company you work for. Organizations need to be especially careful. As an employee, this doesn’t fall solely on you, but it is important that you consider the best practices for keeping data safe.
How to Prevent Identity Theft
If you’ve found this article in advance of having to deal with the consequences of identity theft then there is still a lot you can do to hopefully ensure you never have to deal with it happening to you. If you are working for a large company or your data is particularly sensitive, it makes sense to outsource all of your online security. There are organizations that know exactly how to keep your ID safe and secure and can help both individuals and organizations, even large organizations might find that they are lacking in precautions.
The best thing to do for peace of mind is to work with the professionals and make sure that identity theft doesn’t become a big hassle for you in the future. Now, this might be a different story for business owners who work remotely. Many remote business owners get targeted for online identity theft. This can prove deadly for the business; many businesses fail right after they get their online security breaches.
It is essential for every company on the internet to implement security measures for it to succeed. This could be achieved either by outsourcing your identity security or, you can do it yourself. Even though it is advised to leave it to the professionals, you can still tackle this problem and be safe on the internet:The most important thing you should do is doing your research thoroughly regarding this issue.
It is essential because it not only involves buying software or implementing new technology. It also requires education and hours of reading and watching videos. Hence, it is more complicated than you think. You may find more information here.
There are some basic things you can do: Change passwords regularly and generate them rather than just use your cat’s name! People will find a way to get through basic and simple passwords so they should use a lot of different characters. Never automatically trust a link that is sent to you. Check if the website is secure and don’t put any details in on a site that you have even one doubt about. Things like online banking are prime examples.
Always visit their sites through your browser rather than just clicking on a link in an email. This is prime for someone to take advantage of phishing. Have a high-quality anti-virus on your computer. If you are running a big company then you should definitely ensure you have access to this for all of your staff. Don’t mix work and personal life. A working computer should be for work and your personal devices should be for your own accounts on things. If you log into work emails on a laptop that is yours, and you don’t take the right precautions, you could be accountable if anything happens.
How to Tackle Identity Theft When it Happens
If the worst does happen and you find yourself a victim of identity theft, don’t panic. There are steps you can take to try and minimize the damage. If you want to, you can contact the specialists. Again, there are specific companies who can deal with identity theft and help you to ensure that you deal with everything in the correct manner, rather than making mistakes along the way. You should look to get a fraud alert put on your credit report, this can limit the damage of any credit taken out fraudulently in your name.
Report to the FTC. This is one of the first steps you can take. There is a simple form that you can fill in on an FTC site, IdentityTheft.gov or you can call to speak to a member of staff. Try to gain as much evidence as you can when you are talking to them, ready to show exactly what is happening to your accounts. Go to your local police. Different police forces deal with the issues in different ways and the location where the offense happened might play a part, but authorities should be alerted straight away. Freeze credit cards and bank accounts. Stop anything negative from happening while you wait to establish what steps you are going to take.
Freezing lines of credit can allow you to ensure that you do not run up further debts without spending anything! Your credit card might be being used on the other side of the world. Change all of your passwords. One breach is enough to ensure that you should get new passwords for every account you have including social media. Alert your work if using a work laptop or if the ID theft is in any way linked. If you fear that these details could lead to issues for your workplace then there is no way you should keep it from them. If you need to, you can still contact specialists in identity theft who can walk you through all of the steps required to try to get your life back on track.
Conclusion
There is no denying that identity theft can have a huge negative impact on your life, and even on those close to you. If it isn’t properly dealt with then it could keep having an effect decades into the future. If you haven’t suffered from ID theft yet then you can take steps to ensure your security. If you are working with a company and are worried about their data then this is another reason to take security seriously.
Just a few simple precautions can make all the difference, and you need to know what techniques and tactics current fraudsters are using to try and steal your information.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
One issue that a lot of people ignore, but one that is still utterly vital, is identity theft. A number of people simply don’t realize how much of a threat this can be to their life and the problems it can cause. As a remote worker, you might have to consider both your own personal information and that of the company you work for.
In this guide, we’re providing some of the information you need to ensure you are preventing and tackling ID theft. We also show you what steps you can take if you are unfortunate enough to fall foul of online fraudsters.
What is Online Identity Theft?
Identity theft is nothing new. People have been stealing identification via Social Security numbers and other details for a long time, usually by stealing wallets, but historically some people would go through mail to find details for identity theft. In the modern age of the internet, it is easier for people to find personally identifiable information. This is sometimes abbreviated to “PII”. This allows people to commit fraud and pretend to be you. They can sometimes steal money directly in this way, but they can also do things to impact upon your reputation or, in the case of employees they might be able to gain access to company servers or more.
Remote workers need to think about the impact of their identity being stolen, access to their online accounts, and more, but if you don’t take the right precautions you can even be responsible for issues regarding your work details.
Identity theft used to require physical documents to commit this kind of fraud, but now, things have changed. Details can be stolen in a number of ways and networks and websites can be hacked to allow fraudsters to find PII.
How Serious is Identity Theft?
It’s easy to think that identity theft isn’t too much of a big deal or assume that nobody could impersonate you so there’s nothing to worry about. Actually, once they have your details people can take advantage in a lot of different ways. Identity theft crime statistics are scary. 16.7 million people in America suffered some form of identity theft in the year 2017. That figure is continuing to grow. Billions of dollars are stolen every year using identity theft methods.
If you find yourself the victim of identity theft it might be impossible to recover all of the assets you have lost or the damage to your reputation or the company you work for. This means that identity theft is a huge issue that can impact years of your life. Also, people can commit crimes and run up debts in your name. This can leave you facing a legal battle in the future, too. Make no mistake about it, identity theft is incredibly rife and can make an impact for a number of years in the future.
This is not something you will necessarily have out of the way in a matter of weeks. Even if you contact the authorities and explain that you have been the victim of identity theft, the onus might be on you to prove this. Cybercrime is on the rise. 3.2 million identity theft, cybercrime, and other forms of fraud were reported in 2019. As you can see from this article, almost half of the time when people stole someone’s identity, they applied for a credit card. This debt doesn’t automatically get written off. You will need to prove that you were a victim of fraud and take action if this happens to you. Until then the debts could be in your name.
How Does Identity Theft Happen?
It is easy to assume that you have done the right things and won’t be a victim. Just changing your password from time to time isn’t necessarily enough. There are lots of ways in which people can steal your ID details online.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
You need to have your guard up. Identity theft is becoming more sophisticated and people will always look for new ways to get your personal information. For a criminal, it can be very lucrative.
What Happens When Your Identity is Stolen?
Identity theft can lead to your data being sold. People sell it on the dark web, and this means that people all over the world could be using your data to borrow money, make applications, and even commit other crimes. Generally, most of the consequences that happen after your identity is stolen have some sort of financial gain for the criminal.
As a remote worker, it could be that someone is looking to steal your data to gain access to the company you work for. Organizations need to be especially careful. As an employee, this doesn’t fall solely on you, but it is important that you consider the best practices for keeping data safe.
How to Prevent Identity Theft
If you’ve found this article in advance of having to deal with the consequences of identity theft then there is still a lot you can do to hopefully ensure you never have to deal with it happening to you. If you are working for a large company or your data is particularly sensitive, it makes sense to outsource all of your online security. There are organizations that know exactly how to keep your ID safe and secure and can help both individuals and organizations, even large organizations might find that they are lacking in precautions.
The best thing to do for peace of mind is to work with the professionals and make sure that identity theft doesn’t become a big hassle for you in the future. Now, this might be a different story for business owners who work remotely. Many remote business owners get targeted for online identity theft. This can prove deadly for the business; many businesses fail right after they get their online security breaches.
It is essential for every company on the internet to implement security measures for it to succeed. This could be achieved either by outsourcing your identity security or, you can do it yourself. Even though it is advised to leave it to the professionals, you can still tackle this problem and be safe on the internet:The most important thing you should do is doing your research thoroughly regarding this issue.
It is essential because it not only involves buying software or implementing new technology. It also requires education and hours of reading and watching videos. Hence, it is more complicated than you think. You may find more information here.
There are some basic things you can do: Change passwords regularly and generate them rather than just use your cat’s name! People will find a way to get through basic and simple passwords so they should use a lot of different characters. Never automatically trust a link that is sent to you. Check if the website is secure and don’t put any details in on a site that you have even one doubt about. Things like online banking are prime examples.
Always visit their sites through your browser rather than just clicking on a link in an email. This is prime for someone to take advantage of phishing. Have a high-quality anti-virus on your computer. If you are running a big company then you should definitely ensure you have access to this for all of your staff. Don’t mix work and personal life. A working computer should be for work and your personal devices should be for your own accounts on things. If you log into work emails on a laptop that is yours, and you don’t take the right precautions, you could be accountable if anything happens.
How to Tackle Identity Theft When it Happens
If the worst does happen and you find yourself a victim of identity theft, don’t panic. There are steps you can take to try and minimize the damage. If you want to, you can contact the specialists. Again, there are specific companies who can deal with identity theft and help you to ensure that you deal with everything in the correct manner, rather than making mistakes along the way. You should look to get a fraud alert put on your credit report, this can limit the damage of any credit taken out fraudulently in your name.
Report to the FTC. This is one of the first steps you can take. There is a simple form that you can fill in on an FTC site, IdentityTheft.gov or you can call to speak to a member of staff. Try to gain as much evidence as you can when you are talking to them, ready to show exactly what is happening to your accounts. Go to your local police. Different police forces deal with the issues in different ways and the location where the offense happened might play a part, but authorities should be alerted straight away. Freeze credit cards and bank accounts. Stop anything negative from happening while you wait to establish what steps you are going to take.
Freezing lines of credit can allow you to ensure that you do not run up further debts without spending anything! Your credit card might be being used on the other side of the world. Change all of your passwords. One breach is enough to ensure that you should get new passwords for every account you have including social media. Alert your work if using a work laptop or if the ID theft is in any way linked. If you fear that these details could lead to issues for your workplace then there is no way you should keep it from them. If you need to, you can still contact specialists in identity theft who can walk you through all of the steps required to try to get your life back on track.
Conclusion
There is no denying that identity theft can have a huge negative impact on your life, and even on those close to you. If it isn’t properly dealt with then it could keep having an effect decades into the future. If you haven’t suffered from ID theft yet then you can take steps to ensure your security. If you are working with a company and are worried about their data then this is another reason to take security seriously.
Just a few simple precautions can make all the difference, and you need to know what techniques and tactics current fraudsters are using to try and steal your information.
“Over The Shoulder” techniques. Someone can watch your input data. It’s as simple as that. If you are in a co-working space, for instance, you might be targeted by someone looking to steal your data.
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