Protecting Against Cyber Identity Theft - A "How to" - Public Service of

On order to protect yourself from cyber identity thieves, you need to understand some of their tactics.

Phishing is Very Common

As the word suggests, the would-be identity thief tries to lure you into revealing personal information. They might do this by sending you an urgent email that is designed to look as if it is an official communication from a company you do business with such as a credit card company or a health care company. The “representative” asks that you immediately verify your information.

Similarly, the hacker might set up an instant message to pop up on your computer that looks authentic and official. The message requests that you respond with you identifying information, such as your social security number, account numbers and date of birth. The IM or email might be linked to a website set up to look legitimate, but which is actually a front for identity thieves.

To protect yourself from phishing, do not open emails if you do not recognize the sender. One of the best ways to avoid cyber identity thieves is to make sure you know who you are dealing with, whether by email, IM or websites.

Protect yourself against spyware

Another more insidious way cyber thieves gather their information is by downloading programs onto your computer which search your databases for personal information. Someone with access to your computer can accomplish this quite easily, but what you may not realize is that you may inadvertently download such a program yourself. Using IM and email, and luring you to fake websites, are all ways cyber identity thieves get you to click on and download these dangerous programs.

How can you protect yourself? First, make certain that you have a firewall, anti-spy ware and a good anti-virus software program on your computer. There are several anti-virus programs: a few of the better-known ones are Norton, Kapersky and McAfee. These programs are set to run periodically; make sure yours is up-to-date and runs frequently, perhaps even daily.

While the anti-virus software will scan the contents of your computer, you might also want to do a periodic review of the programs yourself. Look for anything with an unfamiliar name or unknown origins and purge it from your system.

Use Public Computers Wisely

Especially try to avoid using shared computers, such as those found in internet cafés. If you must use a shared computer, protect yourself by making sure you don’t check any boxes offering to remember you and your password on that computer. Also, close the browser after you are finished.

Watch out - because Identity thieves are watching you

Lastly, don’t forget to protect yourself from old-fashioned spying. If you are using your computer in public, be aware of anyone who is watching you work. Try to avoid any transactions that require you to input your personal information when others are around you. And again, use common sense. If someone is hovering, don’t take a chance: close up and move on.