Risk Factors for Identity Theft
August 21, 2008 – 11:24 amWhile almost no one is truly safe from identity theft, there are some factors that contribute to your risk for being the victim of identity theft. There are many ways we expose ourselves that we don’t really have a choice about. Even simply being a student, having a driver’s license, or doing business with almost any company that stores your personal information can put your identity in jeopardy. These risk factors will focus on specific things we can do to flag us as prime targets for the prowling masses of identity thieves.
Computer Security: If you at any time input your social security number, bank account number, credit card number, or passwords, you increase the risk of identity theft. Hackers are becoming more skilled at cracking into computers and accessing our data. Firewall, antivirus, and anti-spyware programs are a crucial part of protecting your computer from hackers. If you do not run spyware and antivirus scans at least once every two weeks, your computer could be infected. Many trojans, keyloggers, and spyware programs will keep a constant watch over your data. When they find your information, they send it back to the hackers who then use it to commit fraud. If you share a computer with others you do not fully trust, they may be able to get into the information contained therein. The only way to have a truly secure computer is if it never goes online and its data is password protected and encrypted.
Internet Security: If you share personal information online without scrutinizing the site certificate, or checking for the lock icon on your browser which indicates a secure connection, you might unwittingly be transmitting your personal information to others listening in. If you do not carefully check the URL of the site you are on, you may be redirected to a hacker site that looks exactly like the site you are looking for. These sites are identical to the login pages of the original site so unsuspecting people will submit their personal information to the hackers instead. If you use public computers in a computer lab or library, and do not fully log out of each program before closing the browser, others can often get into your personal accounts which are still authenticated. Opening email documents from sources you do not know can open the door for spyware and viruses. Many emails contain phishing scams to trick you into submitting your information. File sharing programs can also expose your computer to access from people all over the world without your knowledge. Submitting your personal information online is never truly secure. Hackers are continually prodding the system for any weaknesses they can exploit to steal your personal information.
Business Information: Any time you provide your personal information to any business or institution, you are trusting them with your identity. Businesses, schools, and driver’s license offices are favorite targets for identity thieves. While we tend to assume the data will be protected, this is not always the case. Many incidents have been reported where employees steal and publicize this information after leaving the company. Hackers can crack into information, and robbers can steal computers with your data inside, if the company does not have very tight security. Some businesses simply throw printouts of your personal data into open containers in the streets for normal garbage pickup. Nearly any business has the potential to expose you to identity theft, and most of the time you will have no idea you have been put at risk.
In order to function in our society, there are many risk factors that we must expose ourselves to daily. We should assume at all times that our identity is in the hands of identity thieves, because chances are, it already is. Most victims of identity theft only find out that their identity has been compromised long after the damage has been done. This is why LifeLock keeps a constant watch on your identity. It doesn’t protect your information from getting into the hands of identity thieves. It operates as if the identity thieves already have and are using your personal information. There is good reason why Todd Davis, the CEO of LifeLock, would be confident enough to advertise his social security number publicly for years. If you want to eliminate the risk of identity theft in your own life, you might want to consider Life Lock.
Tags: Data Security, Identity Theft Prevention, identity theft protection, LifeLock
