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DAY, MONTH 00, 2015 |
Sponsored Newspapers In Education Content
BE AWARE OF IDENTITY THEFT
ID Theft Techniques
• Dumpster diving
Still one of the top methods of ID theft; someone will go through trash until
they find enough personal information to steal a person’s identity.
• Phishing
A fraudster will send out an email asking for personal information disguised
as a company the victim uses, such as a bank or cable company.
• Smishing
Similar to phishing, but uses text messaging instead of email.
• Shoulder surfing
Is someone looking over your shoulder while you are putting in your PIN number?
These people could be looking over your shoulder to see and memorize or
record your actions.
• Key loggers
Be careful about the websites you visit and links you click on; malware can
install software on your device that records everything you do.
• Hacking
A hacker can get into your device and steal information on it.
• Job recruitment scams
These involve a fake job posting that requires
you to fill out personal information.
• ATM skimmers
These are devices are placed over the
credit card slot on ATM’s or gas pumps
that send your debit card or credit
card information—straight to
the scammer.
PUBLIC WI-FI
Connecting to public Wi-Fi
somewhere is something many of us
do on a daily basis. Do you get the
name of your location’s Wi-Fi before
connecting? Do you only connect to
secure Wi-Fi hotspots that require
passwords? These two steps alone
can help minimize your risk of ID theft
over public Wi-Fi networks. If you
wouldn’t shout the information out
to a crowded room of people, you
shouldn’t do it over unsecured Wi-Fi.
PROTECT YOUR PERSONAL
INFORMATION
•
Never respond to unsolicited
email or link to third party
sites:
If you receive an email
prompting for your personal
information, go to the same
web address you normally use.
• Protect your social security
number:
You should never
carry documents with your
SSN on them.
• Protect credit cards:
Keeping cards in RFID (Radio
Frequency Identification)
protection slips will protect
them from being scanned
without your knowledge. In
addition to your signature on
the back, write “See ID” in a
different color to ensure no
one can use your card but you.
• Store documents in a safe
place:
Any documents with
account numbers or sensitive
personal information should be
kept in a locked location.
• Shred documents and mail:
Using a crosscut paper shredder,
turn your documents into
confetti.
SECURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY
It is important to have up-to-date
antivirus and firewall protection
installed on all devices. Keeping your
software up to date will also help keep
viruses away.
When designing passwords for new
accounts, keep these tricks in mind:
• Use 8 characters or more
(experts now say 32!)
• Use at least 2 numbers and
1 special character (@#$%*)
• Use different passwords for
EACH account
• Don’t use complete words
• Think of using a phrase, rather
than a word
• Change passwords frequently
TAKE PRECAUTIONS
• Check all of your bank and
card statements:
When your
bank or credit card statements
come go through each of
them carefully, make sure you
recognize all of the charges.
• Be stingy with social media:
Information in your bio, such as
birthday, family members, phone
number and other personal
information can be used to steal
your identity. Just think what
someone can do if they know
your name, your age, where you
go to school, where you live, your
BFF’s name, the names and
faces of your family members.
Make sure you operate social
media with the tightest security
options. Lock it down. Consider
using a different day or year for
your birthday on social media.
Nothing is 100 percent safe,
but don’t hand everything over
by using “public” settings.
• Get a secure mailbox:
Using
a locking mailbox or getting a
P.O. Box is safer than having
an unlocked box.
• Monitor your credit report:
Watch out for accounts you
didn’t open, open/closed
status on accounts, late
payments, and unauthorized
inquiries. You can check
your report when you turn 18.
Your parents can check it
for fraudulent use of your
social security number
prior to that.
• Sign up for alerts:
Being
aware of current scams is
one of the best ways to protect
yourself. Sign up at:
/
alerts.htm
.
com.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE A VICTIM
1. Contact your financial institution.
2. Close the compromised account.
3. Place a fraud alert on your credit
reports.
4. File an ID Theft Complaint with
the FTC and bring your printed ID
Theft Complaint with you to the
police station when you file your
police report. ID theft is a federal
offense!
5. File a police report.
6. File a complaint with the
Washington State Office of
the Attorney General.
Go to
-
tures/feature-0014-identity-theft
for more information about id theft.
Visit the Washington AG site
atg.
wa.gov/guardit.aspx
to learn more
about ID theft protection for WA
residents, including credit freezes
atg.wa.gov/security-freeze-pro-
cedures
