High-tech protection
Analaura Luna We've all become used to using technology to make our lives easier, but is our increasing confidence in technology making us less security conscious and more trusting online than we should be?
One of the taglines for the television series The X-Files was ‘trust no one’, and since the heroes Mulder and Scully had to deal with deadly aliens, monsters and mysterious conspiracies on a daily basis, it’s no wonder that they had some trust issues! While most of us aren’t likely to have to deal with the same dangers as The X-Files duo, it is important that we exercise the same level of caution when it comes to protecting ourselves from scammers, fraudsters and crooks, especially online.
Technology has made it much easier for us to make purchases and connect with people all over the world, but it has also provided criminals with new ways to use stolen credit cards, stolen account details or other illegally acquired information. If you want to do everything you can to ensure that you’re not taken to the cleaners, you’ll need to follow some simple tips for staying safe online:
• If you’re making purchases online, take a minute to check that the site you’re buying from really is the site you meant to buy from. Fake websites can be set up to trick you into handing over your credit card details, and some of them can look pretty professional, so instead of trusting links between websites, type the URL into your browser window yourself so you can be sure that you’re visiting the site you meant to visit. Once you’re there, check that the company you’re purchasing from offers secure transactions so that you can protect credit card and other personal details.
• If you use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, think long and hard about the kind of personal details you want to post. Once you’ve put personal information online it can be almost impossible to remove it again, and you don’t know who might be collecting the data. If you do want details about yourself floating around on the internet, it pays to select the ‘private’ option that will hide the portions of your profile that display your personal information. But remember, that no system is completely foolproof, so there’s always a risk of your information falling into the wrong hands.
• Be cautious when using public computers. Make sure you log out of any services you’ve been using when you leave the computer, and remember – this computer isn’t yours, so you don’t know what sort of shape it’s in. Computers can be infected with viruses and keylogging software that can crack even the most complicated passwords, so if possible think about waiting until you can use your own computer to do your banking and online shopping.
• Credit cards are useful for making online purchases – but they do carry a fair bit of risk if someone should get hold of your details stolen credit card details can be used to max out our credit limit without your knowledge. Safer online shopping options are a dedicated ‘online shopping’ credit card with a small limit, or better yet, a debit card, that that isn’t linked to your primary bank account. You can transfer funds across to the card any time you want, and if something does go wrong, thieves will only be able to access whatever cash you have in the account, not a huge credit limit.
• Don’t store your PINs and passwords on your mobile phone, computer, or any gadget that allows you to go online, especially if you use the device for online shopping or banking, even using the specialised programs and widgets out there that act as a ‘vault’ where you can store all of your passwords ‘safely’. There’s always a risk that the vault isn’t as secure as you think, and all of your passwords will be waiting in one convenient location for anyone who can crack the vault.
• Finally, while it can be frustrating to live in a world where you need 12 different PINS, 47 different passwords and umpteen usernames, resist the temptation to use one PIN, password and username for everything. If thieves do get hold of one of these ‘keys’ to your identity, the first thing they’re likely to do is try them in every door they can find to see what they can unlock. Having different keys for each door can help limit your liability.
Technology is great – it lets us do all sorts of things quickly and easily, no matter where we are. But if you are going to make use of all the great online options out there, it’s important to be aware of the steps you should take to maintain your privacy. Fortunately, it’s easy to be able to enjoy the online world without having to become as paranoid as Agent Mulder. And let’s face it – if the truth is out there, you’re probably going to need the internet to find it!
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Tags: identity theft, stolen credit, stolen account, protect credit, money management
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