Identity theft is on the rise. Nearly 7 percent of all U.S. consumers - 16.7 million people - were victims in 2017. Thieves stole $16.8 billion, which was an 8 percent increase over the year before. Due to improved security like embedded chip credit cards, thieves are 81 percent more likely to commit "card not present" fraud where they don't have your actual card, according to a Javelin Research study.
The most common way thieves access your personal information is through malicious links in an email, data breaches at places where you have accounts or unprotected computer hardware. Your Social Security number, bank accounts and credit card numbers can be used to set up phony accounts or to hack your existing accounts.
Account takeovers cost U.S. consumers $5.1 billion in 2017, which is a 120 percent increase over 2016. On average, each consumer lost $290 and 16 hours of time to resolve issues.
1. Guard Your Email
Thieves are most likely to hit through email attachments. They can impersonate your contacts or use email templates and fake websites that look very similar to real companies where you have accounts. Even emails that seem to come from people you know might be fake. So, if one of your contacts sends you a strange email that seems out of character, don't email them back, but call them to ask about it. Don't click on any attachments unless you're certain of its safety.
2. Protect Yourself on Social Media
The default privacy settings on social media accounts like Facebook usually are very open. If you don't want thieves to access your personal data, control who can see your posts (friends, friends of friends, etc.). Limit biographical information such as your birthday, hometown and workplace - the less you share publicly online, the fewer chances thieves have to scam you. And watch out for strangers sending friend requests. Never click on attachments sent in messages or posted in comments sections if you don't know the person.
It's also a good idea to turn off geo-tagging, which stores and sometimes posts your location online. Turn off location-based services, like Bluetooth and GPS, except when you need them. And you know all those apps that ask to connect to your account? It can be convenient, but any time you allow other apps to access your Facebook or other social media through plug-ins, you open yourself up to possible hacks.
3. Create (and Protect) Strong Passwords
Use password protection, multifactor authentication and fingerprint identification on all your devices. Don't share your passwords with anyone unless you really trust them - not even family members. Use a password manager or digital wallet (such as Roboform or Lastpass) to securely store all your passwords.
Follow the password guidelines for the specific site or account, but in general, a good password has at least 12 characters and includes numbers, capital letters and symbols. One password trick is to use the first letters of each word of a phrase you will remember. For example: "My 5th grade teacher was Mrs. Brown in 2001" would make the password: M5gtwMB#2001.
4. Protect Yourself in Public
Always log out of public computers - especially if you've been on your email - and don't "remember" login and password information in browsers. Always use secure logins with https://when available.
When working on your own devices, it's safer to use a 3G or 4G connection instead of public Wi-Fi. Turn off Wi-Fi when you're not using it, enable your firewall and disable "network discovery" in settings. If you travel a lot or often work in public places, consider getting a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN is a group of networked computers that encrypts your communications so they can't be intercepted by thieves. Many employers and schools have their own VPNs.
Security experts recommend covering your webcam and microphone with tape to prevent hackers from spying on you. Thieves sell hacked live streams of unsuspecting victims' webcams for free. And always completely wipe your hard drive before donating or selling a computer or old phone. Research your specific make/model online for instructions.
5. Update Software and Operating Systems
Run virus software on a regular basis. Even though it can be annoying to constantly receive notifications of updates to your operating systems and software, it's important to regularly update these because they contain fixes to known viruses.
Copy a version of your computer's hard drive on to external drive on a weekly or monthly basis. An external hard drive connects to your computer using a USB cable. If something happens to your computer, you still have your files. Unplug your hard drive when it's done. If your hard drive is connected to your computer when it's hit by a virus, thieves can get everything
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