Tips to Prevent Identity Theft Online

The problem of identity theft should be taken very seriously by everyone. There are thousands of people around the world who have been made a victim of this crime and have suffered greatly for it. This means taking your personal information and using it for illegal purposes.

The home computer is one of the latest places for identity theft to occur. An intelligent online identity thief can easily get all of your personal information. With it, he can destroy your credit, which could take years to repair even if you can prove you are a victim.

One of the easiest ways for someone to get a huge amount of your information is when you replace your old computer. People can be so excited about their new computer that they simply unplug the old one and set it aside until it's time to dispose of it.

This is one of the worst things you can do. That old computer has all of your passwords, bookmarks, emails, and internet history. Someone just has to take it home and plug it in to see what you have been doing, buying, and looking at.

The internet itself is used to gain access to all kinds of personal information. College students are at very high risk because their personal information and grades are often posted on the internet so they can check it. Once someone cracks their password, the thieves have information that they can use for fraudulent purposes.

It isn't difficult to keep this from taking place. Use difficult passwords. Don't use anything that is related to you. Don't use names, numbers or dates. Your password should be 8 to 10 characters in length, using both letters and numbers. This is very difficult to figure out.

Another way to prevent identity theft is by monitoring your credit report. Keep an eye on it by checking it at least every couple of months. You want to ensure that there is no activity going on that you were not aware of.

Another tip is to be very cautious with your credit card information when online shopping. Be careful where you shop, sticking to only a few stores that you trust. Be certain that the sites you buy from are secure and that they protect your privacy.

In addition, take care when responding to emails. Frequently, scammers will send you a bogus email that is trying to obtain your personal information fraudulently. The message might congratulate you on getting a job that you made an online application for, or pose as some sort of financial institution as a way of obtaining your personal details.

Even though there's no guarantee that you will completely avoid online identity theft, following these tips should help you to feel more secure.