Be digitally responsible - avoid being robbed online or having your identity compromised

What would you do if you checked your bank account and saw a $0 balance? What if someone else would use your LinkedIn Profile details or..your picture?

Identity theft isn’t too rare of an occurrence these days, yet we often fall into the trap of thinking that it’ll always happen to “someone else”. Unfortunately, we are all somebody else’s “someone else”, which means identity theft can happen to you.

It can take shockingly little effort for an online identity thief to strike. For instance, if the answer to your online security questions involves information such as your relatives’ names or your educational background, a thief could easily find the answer online and use it to log into your accounts. Malware and viruses that make it onto your computer through emails, questionable downloads, or other means can record your every keystroke, revealing your most sensitive information to identity thieves. You can be victimized if you inadvertently  respond to questionable emails requesting personal information or to enter your credit card number on a disreputable site. Of course, you don’t personally need to make any safety mistakes to become a victim. While you scrupulously avoid scams, a hacker could get your information by targeting your bank, university, or the store where you have a credit card account.

What do thieves do with your information once they have it? Some information is sold online in huge lots for small sums of money. Thieves may empty your bank account, open credit card accounts, file fake tax returns, or take out loans in your name. Cleaning up the damage and recovering your losses can cost you thousands of dollars, as well as considerable time and aggravation. Damage to your credit history and your reputation may be nearly impossible to repair.

     A digital identity is how someone presents their self in the digital world. 
     Not being aware of one’s own personal digital identity leaves a person open to
     breaches in their digital security. Everything that a person does or interacts
     with online leaves an erasable trail known as a ‘digital footprint’. It is “the
     record of a person’s interactions with the digital world and how the data that
     is left behind can be exploited” (Fish, 2015).

Firstly, it is important to understand what kind of user information is collected. Personal data, passwords, and photos are commonly shared and exceedingly open to vulnerability. Creating multiple identities is a safe way to interact online without the danger of jeopardising one’s real identity, especially in a professional setting.

Don't be to naive...there are PLENTY of bad guys out there, so:

•   Check the locks. If you enter credit card information online to make a purchase, you should see a lock in your browser’s status bar, usually in the right corner. If you don’t see the lock, don’t enter your information.
• Beware of being redirected to a “middle-man” website when you think you are on a secure site, such as your bank’s webpage. Check for suspicious URLs.
• Keep track of your credit card and banking statements to check for suspicious transactions.
• Don’t answer emails or follow links in emails claiming to be from reputable institutions like your bank or university that ask for sensitive information such as your Social Security number. Contact the institution in question via phone or their website about these emails.
• Use common sense. If an offer sounds too good to be true (“Just enter your credit card number for a free trip to Paris!”), it is likely to be a scam. This can also be the case when a google search reveals one vendor who vastly undercuts all the others on the market. You may have found a fake website designed to get your credit card number. Do some online research if you suspect a scam.
• Don’t be cavalier about sending secure information when using the wifi in your favorite cafe. Unless the wifi network is secure, you are only safe when using encrypted websites.
• Look out for emails claiming to be from companies such as Norton Anti-Virus that prompt you to download something. Get in touch with the company independently (do not reply to the email itself) to check on the information.
• Don't be too generous sharing all your personal data.

 The Symptoms

• Not receiving bills or other correspondence – suggesting that a criminal has given a different address in place of your own.
• Receiving credit cards which you did not apply for.
• Denial of credit for no apparent reason.
• Receiving calls from debt collectors or companies about things you have not bought.
• Unrecognisable entries on your credit history.
• You have recently lost or had stolen important documents such as your passport or driving licence.
• When buying or selling, you get complaints about non-delivery of or non-payment for goods you are not aware of.
• You see entries on your bank, credit or store card statement for goods you did not order.
• You cannot log into a site using your normal password (because a criminal has logged in as you and changed it).

Prevention

• Do not share account information with friends, family or other people.
• Ensure you always have effective and updated antivirus/antispyware software running.
• If possible, arrange for paperless bills and statements.
• File sensitive documents securely, and shred those you no longer need – preferably with a cross-cut shredder.
• Never divulge private information data in response to an email, text, letter or phone call unless you are certain that the request is from a bona fide source.
• Always beware of people looking over your shoulder when you are entering private information on a computer, smartphone/tablet or ATM. 

Identify fraudulent profiles:
Significantly, a lot of the fake, fraudster-led profiles have common themes and follow a specific pattern.

• They predictably use photos of attractive women from stock images. Several profiles also contain pictures of real professionals, in order to seem more convincing.
• The fraudulent accounts assume the identity as a recruiter of a fake firm. Alternatively, they also assume the mantle of being ‘self-employed.’
• Lazily, a lot of fake profiles have their content copied from other profiles of real professionals.
• The profiles are littered with keywords, so as to ensure that the profile shows up among the top search results.

 What can you do to prevent theft?

1. Keep personal data private—At home, at work and on your mobile devices, secure your personal and financial records in a locked storage device or behind a password. Of those consumers who knew how the crimes were committed, nine percent of all identity fraud crimes were committed by someone previously known to the victim in 2011.  Avoid mailing checks to pay bills or to deposit funds in your banking account. Use online bill payment on a secure Internet access (not a public Wi-Fi hotspot) instead and direct deposit payroll checks.

2. Be social, be responsible—While social networks are popular, be careful about publicly exposing personal information that is typically used for authentication (full birth date, high school name). This applies to all social networks.

3. Use mobile devices responsibly—Mobile devices are a treasure trove of information for fraudsters. The “always on” functionality of mobile devices provides fraudsters with new avenues for securing information. Be sure of the applications you download, the data you share over public Wi-Fi and where you leave your devices.

4. Ask questions— Before providing any information on mobile phones, social media sites and transaction sites, question who is asking for the information? Why do they need it? How is the information being used? If volunteering information, ask yourself if you have more to gain or more to lose by sharing personal and unnecessary details.

What to do if your Identity has been stolen

• Act promptly in order to minimise the impact of the theft.
• Contact any affected websites and advise them about the problem.
• If you can, log in and change your password immediately using a strong password.
• If you are unable to log in, contact the website’s technical support department immediately for further advice.
• Ask your bank, building society or credit card company for advice (for example, on freezing accounts and getting new cards, passwords and PINs). Most will refund the full amount lost providing you were not negligent in some way.
• Change your password on other websites in case they have also been compromised.
• If website access requires a secret question, change it if you can to avoid repeat incidents. 
• Check your other personal information, such as addresses, to make sure it is still correct.
• Check for other transactions, items for sale or items purchased in your name which you have not originated, and cancel them.
• Report all lost or stolen documents (passports, driving licences, credit cards, chequebooks, etc) as soon as possible to the relevant issuing authorities.
• Do not continue to use a compromised PIN.

Signs your online identity has been tampered with: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-warning-signs-digital-identity-theft-shouldnt-ignore/

Have you been hacked? https://www.wikihow.com/Know-if-You've-Been-Hacked

Ways to prevent identity theft: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/9-ways-prevent-identity-theft-online-activities/