People today already have accounts in social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Tumblr as well as Yahoo and Google e-mail accounts. We have the tendency to join famous and popular social networking sites and make e-mail accounts to known sites since they are a global trend. Due to this fact, there is no doubt that technology is already an integral part of this new generation. Changes happen rapidly in the technological arena. Gadgets being recently released are slowly clouded by other new and updated gadgets released year after year. This is the main reason why some people who are into technological advancements look for updates every year.
Today, children and the elderly already have facebook accounts, send e-mails and chat on social networking sites. They are slowly adapting to the new technologies the world has to offer.The Internet provides a faster way of communication from one person to another like e-mails. Applying for jobs and hiring someone is now done via the Internet and that includes job interviews.
People usually have the tendency to add up friends in social networking sites plainly because we want to become famous. Let’s face it, people usually feel proud whenever they see someone wants to befriend and know them, even if they are complete strangers. This in turn, leaves them open and very prone to be victimized by any con-artists lurking in the Internet especially those that try to steal identities.
Keep in mind that whatever you do online, whether it is for job application or just having fun on social networking sites, puts you at risk for identity theft. You expose your private information to the public if you are not protected. One day, you might be surprised that someone you completely do not know of has already impersonated you in the Internet and its trying to acquire your friends and infiltrate your personal activities and worst, your business. For this reason, it is important to be responsible enough to keep yourself protected whenever you go online. Here are some tips that will help you.
1. Protect your passwords.
The most important thing is your password. Make a password that is hard to crack. It may be a combination of numbers, small letters and big letters. Be sure to know them by heart. You can use objects to let you remind of your password or certain important dates. If you have multiple accounts, try to make different passwords and avoid using one for all of them. Rotate your passwords if you can. Many people tend to write down their passwords which is basically wrong. Do not write your passwords on a piece of paper. Someone might steal that paper and hack your accounts. Never trust other people with your password. When it comes to your personal information which includes e-mail accounts, the only one you can trust is yourself. Do not give your password to your friends and even to your siblings. You may never know that they might try to hack your account.
Set your e-mail account to enable back-up e-mail address, in this way you can retrieve your password whenever you forget it. If for instance you sense that someone may have known your password or you have used a computer from a public cafe, immediately change your password. The computer you were using might contain software that can obtain vital information, even passwords of accounts from unwary computer users.
2. Make a highly secured security question.
You usually need to make a security question with a security answer in order to retrieve your password whenever forgotten. Try to choose a question with no obvious answer that your friends might know. The key here is selecting a question or making a question in which you alone knows the answer. In this way, you can ensure the security of your account.
3. Set your security settings.
Be familiar with the security settings on your social networking sites. Know how to make your personal information private and not to the public. As much as possible, limit your number of friends to those you completely know. Do not accept those whom are complete strangers to you. Remember that your privacy is always better than being popular. Celebrities often fall victims to identity thefts.
4. Do not approve friend requests right away.
Before you approve any pending friend request. Verify first their identity and how related are you to them. Be meticulous and try to see if you are really friends and you really know them. If you do not know them, then just simply ignore their friend request. Never accept strangers. If ever a certain friend of yours tries to ask some money or wants to meet you. Try to investigate more. Keep in mind that some con-artists can simply steal pictures of your friends and try to pretend to be them. Do not trust and immediately yield to their request. Always be suspicious on these types of conversations and transactions.
5. Do not give any personal or secured information through e-mail
Avoid phishing e-mails. If you receive e-mails from unknown senders that ask you to provide them your personal information. That is immediately a red flag to look out for. Never give your personal information to them. Chances are, they are fraud e-mails sent by con-artists that seeks people to be victimized. Immediately put the e-mail to your spam section and delete it. If the problem persists, you can try to contact the proper authorities to report them.
These are tips that can definitely help you protect your identity when you go online. Always see to it that you make yourself protected. A person’s identity is something to safeguard as much as possible. Never let anyone steal your identity and do not let yourself be a victim to these con- artists in the Internet.