Until you experience it, you probably won’t give identity theft much thought. This is the kind of thing that happens to other people, right?
The truth is that it can happen to anyone, but once you finish reading this you will understand exactly what the risks are and how to protect yourself.
What exactly is identity theft? It’s when someone else has enough personal information about you that they can pretend to be you. Consider the security questions you are often asked when you need to prove who you are on the phone or online.
Usually you will need to provide your full name, address, date of birth and telephone number or email address. And that may be enough to open a new credit card account or make purchases with an existing card.
Criminals can obtain this information in a variety of ways, including from social media, from a data breach, or simply by using your email address and a list of commonly chosen passwords to log into your accounts by line.
They can also obtain it using phishing emails or fake websites, which make you believe you are dealing with a legitimate company, but actually intend to scam you. You may click a link in a text message or email that installs malware on your device. Such malware can scan your device for personal information and send it back to scammers.
The number of scams hits an all-time high according to the Norton Cyber Safety Pulse report, and the Cyber Safety Insights 2023 report reveals that nearly one in four consumers say they have been targeted by a scam while making a purchase online, 50% have been victims.
Criminals can also steal your identity by creating Wi-Fi hotspots that look like free, legitimate Wi-Fi networks. When you log in, they may obtain your information from a fake login page or if things like passwords, emails, or other messages are sent over that network as plain text instead of ‘be encrypted.
Regardless of how they obtain your personal information, they can cause you a lot of trouble if they are able to use it to steal your identity and start making money from it. Maybe they will sell it on the dark web or use it directly to steal your identity. Not only might financial institutions start chasing you to pay “your” credit card bills or rent, but the police might also come knocking at your door.
Needless to say, this can lead to a lot of stress, time and money to fix the problem.
What can you do to prevent your identity from being stolen? Luckily, many, and here are five tips and tricks you can use right now to protect yourself against identity theft this holiday season and beyond.
- Be careful with any personal information you give out online and make sure you know who you share it with. Check your privacy settings on any social networks you use to make sure your name, date of birth, and location remain private.
- Use unique, secure passwords for each website you log into. Reusing passwords is dangerous, but a password manager like the one included with Norton 360 Advanced can store your credentials so you don’t need to remember all the different passwords.
- Use a VPN, like Avast One Individual and Family, to connect to public Wi-Fi networks more securely. This ensures that all personal data is encrypted and private.
- Do not share or send sensitive items such as bank account numbers or passwords via email or social media, even as a private message.
- When buying things online, use reputable websites and check the web address carefully to make sure you are on the authentic site. When paying, make sure the address starts with https:. You can also use payment services such as PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay to hide your banking details from the seller.
Be protected
Cybersecurity software will help protect your devices and personal information. If you’re not already using it on your devices, now is the time to do so.
Norton 360 Advanced costs £34.99 (first year) and can protect up to 10 devices. It monitors the dark web for your information, alerts you if your credit score changes significantly, and offers identity restoration assistance in the event of identity theft. Avast One Individual, for a single device, costs £39.99 (first year), and Avast One Family helps protect up to 30 devices for just £54.99 (first year) and will alert you if your password has been disclosed.
