10 ways to protect your personal information

by annie WalterS Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in Nevada

IDENTITY theft affects millions of people each year and can cause serious harm. Protect yourself by securing your personal information, understanding the threat of identity theft, and exercising caution.

Here are 10 things you can start doing now to protect yourself and your loved ones from identity theft: winning the crown after multiple attempts is Anna Valencia Lakrini, who was crowned as Binibining Pilipinas Globe 2023 in her second try.

• Protect your Social Security number by keeping your Social Security card in a safe place at home. Don’t carry it with you or provide your number unnecessarily.

While it’s clear that Lakrini has what it takes to be crowned, her seeming growth from her first Binibining Pilipinas attempt to the present has been massive — as if she’s been mindful of what she needs to take note of before competing.

Another noteworthy characteristic of the beauty queen is her advocacy, as she revealed during the pageant’s question-and-answer portion that she is passionate about ensuring proper nutrition.

“My cause that is dear to my heart is nutrition. As a nutrition scientist [and] as an advocate for proper nutrition, I know that [by] advocating with this platform from Binibining Pilipinas, we can inspire so many people.

A politician can inspire a whole community, and so can we,” she said.

It can also be noted in the Binibining Pilipinas website that she spoke about the country having the means to “accessible and affordable nutrition,” which can be noted in her job as a nutrition scientist.

Although Lakrini’s journey can be loosely related to her idol, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, her journey is proof that first tries are not always as lucky. But if destiny allows you to fulfill your dreams, you are truly unstoppable.

by Jan Milo Severo Philstar.com

MISS Universe Philippines

2023 Michelle Dee revealed that she is bisexual.

In a Mega Magazine special issue released on Monday, May 29, Michelle said that she has identified herself as bisexual for the longest time, stressing that telling her story now is her way of taking control of her narrative.

“I definitely identify myself as bisexual. I’ve identified with that for as long as I can remember," Michelle said.

"I’m attracted to all forms of beauty, all shapes and sizes,” she added.

Dee is aware of her old photos that resurfaced at the height of the Miss Universe Philippines 2023 competition.

“I want to come out with this story because I know that those photos were spread with malicious intent — to kind of distract me, make me feel I’m not worthy of the crown,” she explained.

“I acknowledge that it was so malicious that I felt — and this applies to everyone — when somebody takes away your story, then you should take control of that narrative. Turn it around and make it an empowering story."

The actress-beauty queen said that she grew up with "empowered and strong individuals" liker her mother, Miss Interna- tional 1979 Melanie Marquez.

“My mom would say, ‘O, anak, when I was young, I had five girlfriends.’ She’d teased me sometimes because I had a very boyish demeanor. I liked doing sports; my sister did ballet. So I grew up in an environment where we’d appreciate pogi, maganda,” Michelle said.

“You know, anak, for your girlfriend, she’d better be prettier than you.” Another time, Melanie asked her, “That girl you introduced to me, is she your girlfriend?” When Michelle said no, Melanie replied, “Buti na lang, ’cause she doesn’t meet the standards," she added.

Michelle also said that she is an advocate of the LGBTQ community before coming out.

“Even before coming out, I’ve been attending pride marches. I have too many friends and best friends in the community,” she said.

“I’ve been a loud and proud ally. It’s just that I never gave a confirmation [of my sexuality],” she added.

Michelle was named Miss Universe Philippines 2023 earlier this month. She was also crowned Miss World Philippines 2019.

MANANAMBAL is a new horror film of National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Nora

Aunor. Principal photography starts this June in Siquijor island in Central Visayas.

At 70, the legendary icon of Philippine Cinema continues to essay lead roles in film, as long as she believes in the story material and finds it interesting to do.

From La Aunor’s own words, Maganda ang istorya. Mababait rin ang mga tao sa production,” that’s why BC Entertainment Productions, a new independent movie company, got Nora’s nod to accept the offer.

Mananambal will be directed by Philip Daffon, his directorial debut. For the record, direk Philip has been a seasoned thespian in the production industry for 33 years now. His background is doing work in advertising, documentary films and projects, and the likes.

Screenplay is from the collaboration of the creative minds of Bel Paquiz, Gabriel Divina, and Veronica Reyes.

Director of photography is Peter Frac (who did camera work in Way Of The Cross and Trasla- cion: Ang Paglakad Sa Altar Ng Alanganin). Producers are Alvin Anson and GWard, Inc. (headed by its CEO Gorio Vicuna) with executive producer Karen Ortua (whose initial movie venture was Lagaslas). Mananambal is a Filipino practitioner of traditional medicine, who is also capable of performing sorcery, as common knowledge puts it.

Like the general albularyo, a mananambal obtain his or her status through ancestry,

• Be careful when you speak with unknown callers. Scammers may mislead you by using legitimate phone numbers or the real names of officials. If they threaten you or make you feel uneasy, hang up.

• Create strong, unique passwords so others can’t easily access your accounts. Use different passwords for different accounts so if a hacker compromises one account, they can’t access other accounts.

• Never give your personal or financial information in response to an unsolicited call or message, and never post it on social media.

• Shred paper documents that contain personal information, like your name, birth date, and Social Security number.

• Protect your mobile device from unauthorized access by securing it with a PIN, adding a fingerprinting feature, or using facial recognition. You can also add a password and adjust the time before your screen automatically locks.

• Regularly check your financial accounts for suspicious transactions.

• Avoid internet threats by installing and maintaining strong anti-virus software on all your devices—including your mobile device and personal computer. Use a virtual private network (VPN) to stay safe on public Wi-Fi. Do not perform certain activities that involve sensitive data, like online shopping and banking, on public Wi-Fi networks.

• Protect yourself on social media by customizing your security settings and deleting accounts you no longer use. Also, double-check suspicious messages from your contacts, as hackers may create fake accounts of people you know.

• Never click on any link sent via unsolicited email or text message—type in the web address yourself. Only provide information on secure websites.

We encourage you to create your own personal my Social Security account to track your earnings record. For more information, please read our publication, Protecting Personal Information, at oig.ssa.gov/files/21-540_Protecting_Personal_Information. pdf. Contact us if you see suspicious work activity on your record–you could be a victim of identity theft. Please share this information with your family and friends.