ID theft is real. Victims are mounting by the millions. In fact, it’s the fastest-growing crime in America.
Lack of awareness of the methods these imposters use to steal your data is part of the reason.
Here are some of the most common tactics used to steal your information and gain access to your accounts.
Phishing scams
Phishing remains the # 1 threat. Cybercriminals have been sharpening their tools and now use psychological manipulation techniques to boost the success rate of their phishing attempts. Besides disguising their emails as messages from reputable sources, they often follow them up with a convenient phone call asking you to open that email and follow the instructions there. Just remember that no one will ever ask you to give out sensitive information to ”unlock your account” or whatnot.
SMiShing scams
Much like phishing, SMiShing consists of a fraudulent text message asking you to verify a purchase or give away some account information. If you ever get one of these, delete it. Do not click any link inside.
Social engineering
This type of attack relies heavily on human interaction. Compared to a malware-based intrusion, this type of attack is especially dangerous because it relies on human error. While your Bitdefender security solution can fix vulnerabilities in your software and operating system and render malware attacks useless, social engineering moves to gain your trust and make you give away sensitive information or access to essential resources.
How to Protect Yourself from Digital Identity Theft
Whether you want to learn how to prevent digital identity theft, to improve your online privacy or enhance your security on the Internet, the same golden principles apply.
Keep track of your Internet-connected devices and always format them before selling or giving them away
Maintain a list of online accounts you signed up for - this is much easier to do with a password manager!
Use strong, unique passwords for these accounts and turn on two-factor authentication for them
Set limits on your credit and debit cards and a credit freeze on your credit score
Monitor your bank statements for changes each month or set up SMS alerts for transactions over a certain amount - if your bank offers the option
Adjust the privacy and security settings for your most important accounts (Google, Facebook etc.)
Periodically remove all unnecessary applications from your devices and never install apps outside the official app stores
Back up all your important assets on an external hard drive or in the cloud (encrypted) or, ideally, both
Update all software applications across your devices (from laptops to smartphones and the apps on it to your internet-connected TV)
Install a security solution on all the devices that support it and set regular scans to run automatically
