Along with Spring cleaning comes a flurry of public document shredding events, hosted by banks and other organizations. While it is still vital to shred all documents containing important information, unfortunately, that’s not enough to protect you any longer. With the quick progression of technology, thieves are finding new and innovative ways to steal consumer information. Here are just a few new tips to help protect yourself.
Searching social internet sites such as Facebook & Twitter has become widely popular for thieves to find personal information such as birthdays, addresses, phone numbers, even family and pets names. Once they are able to access your personal information, it is very easy to change your mailing address and decipher account passwords. Make sure to check your account privacy settings often to make sure your information is protected.
Smart phones have become increasingly popular over the past 5 years. Children and adults alike are downloading apps for their smart phones to play games, add functions, search for deals and even manage their daily calendars. Many apps can be used to install spyware and steal information such as passwords and credit card information. Always try to purchase your apps from reputable and well- known companies.
It seems that almost every coffee shop, book store and restaurant offers free WiFi these days! Did you know that every time you connect to a public WiFi you risk compromising your information? Anytime you can log onto an open network that does not require your password, your connection is not secure. It is very easy for thieves to log onto your computer, looking for personal information, financial account numbers and passwords. If you log on to WiFi spots often, for added security consider a subscription to a hotspot secured network.
Identity theft is on the rise, and the results can be personally and financially disastrous. These are just a few of the newest ways that consumer information is being stolen. It’s always best to make sure you have all of your electronic devices up-to-date on security software to best protect your information.
As they say, better safe than sorry!
