Theft of credentials by others can have far-reaching negative consequences. You are more likely to be scammed with your credentials. You can take some precautions yourself to prevent identity information from being compromised by others. The tips we will cover in this article for the protection of identity information will reduce the risk of your identity being compromised.
1. Shred documents
Never throw away bank accounts, invoices or any document containing personal information. Shred with a shredder if you can.. If you don’t have a shredder, shred the documents with scissors.
2. Protect Your Documents
Birth certificates, tax returns, social security cards, etc.. You do not need constant access to important documents such as. Keep them in a safe place at home. Even in case of fire, store it in places that will not be affected by fire.
3. Strengthen Your Passwords
The first thing you should pay attention to in the internet world is passwords, social networks such as Facebook are very important in accessing personal information.. So keep your passwords strong. Create a strong password that is easy for you to remember but easy for others to guess.
4. Don’t be deceived
You may have computer or phone problems from time to time. In these cases, if you cannot handle the problem yourself, you will need help.. In these cases, prefer to get help from people you know and trust or from institutionalized services.. Also, stay away from people who want to give you technical support by contacting you by phone or in any other way, when you have no malfunctions.. These people will approach you with different stories and ask you for passwords or ask you to start some steps on your own computer to request remote access to your computer.. In such cases, hang up the phone and disconnect without being deceived.
5. Lock your phone
Phones are the most private of people. After reaching the phone, a lot of information about you can be reached very easily.. Email, chat, social media and possibly other logged in apps available. You should definitely use the strongest authentication method on your phone to lock the phone.. If you have fingerprint security, definitely use it.. You can also provide your Whatsapp application with an extra security measure with two-step verification.
6. Beware of Websites
Instead of sending trojans to millions of computers and stealing data, most hackers find it easier to deceive people to steal victims’ credentials. Phishing websites impersonate banking and other sensitive sites, hoping to scam people to enter their username and password. They can steal your information with a URL similar to the website you want to enter.. For example https://twitter.com/ is the original site URL. http://twtwitter.com/ is an imitation. You can cheat with lowercase changes at the beginning or end of the URL. Do not click on links from elsewhere. Especially when entering bank links, find the site yourself and log in.. Check if the site you entered has an HTTPS URL and make sure the URL in the address bar is correct.
7. Install Antivirus
Install yourself a good Antivirus for your PC. Antivirus program will protect you greatly. Always keep your antivirus program up to date. Also on Android devices, be especially careful with the apps you install.. There is a lot of fake software in Android apps. Check out this article to understand counterfeit software.
8. Avoid Oversharing
Sharing your messages and pictures with your social media friends is fun, but you could be sharing them with identity thieves if you’re not careful. Don’t go overboard with sharing.. Do not share too many photos of your children, especially. Determine who can see your shared photos. Avoid posting publicly. Your photos can be used by people you don’t want without your knowledge.. You may be a victim of catfish.
You don’t have to completely change your life to protect against identity theft.. Keep yourself from being an easy target by taking care of some simple steps.. If you take such precautions, your risk of being the target of malicious people will be minimized.
Footnote Information
I hope nothing like this happens to you.. If your personal information such as your TR ID number is shared on the Internet, or if you encounter crimes such as insulting and slander on the Internet, and you intend to sue. Have the transaction approved by the Notary Public by performing the e-detection process on the website of the Notaries Union of Turkey.. By e-detection, you register the crime. You can check how to do e-detection from this article.