Donna Talarski
You’re banking and credit account numbers, your social security number, and your address and telephone number are the types of information that define your identity. Online banking and e-commerce have done wondrous things for consumer productivity and convenience. Protection of this type of information has always been critically important, even in the offline, paper world, and long before widespread use of computers or the advent of the web. Yet in our more interconnected, digital world of bits and bytes and rapid data exchange, this type of information is also more vulnerable to unauthorized access and subsequent theft. Consider this:
Most recent estimates sow that identity theft – on line and off line – has affected one in eight U.S. adults.
Americans reported losses of $437 million in 2003 to identity theft and fraud scams.
How Can Consumers Protect Themselves?
Properly dispose of credit card statements and offers by shredding.
Before providing identity information online make sure the site is endorsed by trusted seal issuers such as VeriSign or TRUSTe.
Never give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you’ve initiated contact or are sure of you know who you’re dealing with.
When browsing online, ensure that any program or add-in is downloaded from a trusted source with a valid security certificate.
Use firewall technologies and keep anti-virus and security software current.
Regularly update operating system software to ensure you are running the most current version.
Consumers with cable modems or digital subscriber line (DSL) Internet access should protect their home networks by adding routers equipped with firewalls.
No comments:
Post a Comment