CYBERSECURITY Credit Monitoring, Identity Theft Protection, and Data Breach Management
By Scott Hermann, CEO and identity theft protection expert www.identityiq.com/SDVets
With data breaches on the rise, know how to protect yourself Capital One, Sprint, LabCorp, and Quest Diagnostics are just some of the companies that have experienced a data breach in the last few months. With data breaches making headlines almost daily – coupled with the largest ever data breach at Equifax in 2017 that exposed 147 million people – you should probably just assume your personal information is at risk. The question now is: What can you do to protect yourself? 1. Educate One of the most important steps you can take is to become more educated about the tactics identity thieves use. To start with – and especially with the increase in data breaches – make sure your information is secure from hackers online. This includes protecting your home network and never logging into accounts on an unsecure public Wi-Fi network. You should also be aware of the security used on the websites you visit. Make sure that any site you enter your personal information into displays proof of encryption with the https identifier in the web address. Updating passwords consistently is important as well. Make sure to use strong passwords that aren’t easily cracked and different passwords for different accounts.
Hacking isn’t the only way cybercriminals try to gain your personal information. Another method identity thieves use is phishing scams, such as phone calls, texts, or emails, to gather your personal information. In a phishing scam, cybercriminals will ask for personal information such as your account number or Social Security Number (SSN) that they say is needed to verify a purchase or to warn you about a security-related threat. Never give your SSN or other personal information out over the phone or via email. You also don’t want to fall victim to a “shoulder surfer” when using your computer or other devices in a public place. Be aware of your surroundings so you can avoid a criminal trying to watch over your shoulder so he or she can steal the information you’re typing into your device. Shoulder surfing also can be done at an ATM or other locations when you use a card with a PIN. Swiping your credit or debit card at a card reader requires you to be on the lookout as well. Card skimmers can be installed onto an ATM, card reader at the gas pump, and other locations. The skimmer can read your card information and record your PIN, giving thieves complete access to your account.
©2019 IDIQ℠ provider of IdentityIQ℠. Capital One, Sprint, LabCorp, Equifax and Quest Diagnostics are independent companies unassociated with IDIQ.
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WWW.HomelandMagazine.com / SEPTEMBER 2019