Protect your personal information . It’s valuable.
To an identity thief, your personal information can provide instant access to your financial accounts, your credit record, and other assets. If you think no one would target your personal information, think again. The reality is that anyone can be a victim of identity theft. According to a Federal Trade Commission survey, there are almost 10 million victims every year. It’s often difficult to know how thieves obtained their victims’ personal information. While it definitely can happen offline, some cases start when online data is stolen. Unfortunately, you can’t entirely control whether you will become a victim of identity theft. But following these tips can help minimize your risk while you’re online: • If asked for personal information – your name, email or home address, phone number, account numbers, or Social Security number – find out how it’s going to be used and how it will be protected before you share it. In general, its a good idea to keep your last name, home address, and phone number to yourself. • If you get an email or pop-up message asking for personal information, don’t reply or click on the link in the message. To check if a company with whom you have an account or placed an order may need such information, contact them directly in a way you know to be genuine, like a phone number from directory assistance. In any case, don’t send personal information via email because email is not a secure transmission method. • When shopping online, don’t provide personal or financial information through a company’s website until you check that the site is secure. Look for indicators like a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a website URL that begins “https:” (the “s” stands for “secure”). Unfortunately, no indicator is foolproof; some scammers have forged security icons. • Read website privacy policies. These should explain what personal information the website collects, how the information is used, and whether it is provided to third parties. The privacy policy also should tell whether you have the right to see what information the website has about you and what security measures the company takes to protect your information. If you don’t see a privacy policy – or if you can’t understand it – consider doing business elsewhere.