Cybersecurity Awareness – Protecting Your Digital Identity

Perhaps you have recently seen some shocking statistics concerning the prevalence of identity theft, or perhaps you have a close friend who has gone through a terrible and stressful fraud situation. Even worse, you could already be familiar with the terrifying consequences of identity theft. Whatever the situation, you probably feel helpless to take any action to safeguard yourself. You’re not alone; this feeling is widespread. According to a recent report on cybercrime, 65% of customers said they don’t know where to start to protect themselves from identity theft or cybercrime. But there are a few rather easy steps you can take to help safeguard yourself against identity theft.

Let’s take a look at a few ways that can help you prevent identity theft:

• Stay away from suspicious messages and sites: Ads, Online forms, and decoy action buttons are all rigged to quickly collect information unethically.
• Maintain good password hygiene: Create strong passwords that are long, hard to guess, and unique. Use two-factor authentication wherever and whenever possible. And don’t reuse any password for multiple accounts or services.
• Watch your bank and credit accounts: Regularly check your credit reports and online banking accounts for any unusual activity. To avoid any financial abuse, you may also establish restrictions for your transactions.
• Be careful with sensitive data: Online data can be stored securely on reputable cloud platforms, and be sure to export and delete any sensitive data to avoid mistakenly sharing them.
• Don’t overshare: Keep your personal social media accounts private and do not post media with sensitive data. Report anyone impersonating you or misusing your identity.

Victims often don’t realize that someone is using their information for a while. But the earlier you detect identity theft, the easier and quicker it will be to recover.

Here are 5 red flags that indicate someone has stolen your identity.

Identity Theft: What are the Key Indicators of Compromise?

Know the following five indications of identity theft:

1. Bills and financial statements arrive late. This type of lag might suggest that cyber thieves have altered your accounts’ postal addresses or are stealing from your mailbox.
2. Unexpected phone calls from creditors regarding overdue charges and balances on existing accounts, or for accounts and costs, that you did not incur.
3. Account confirmation from a bank, credit card company, or internet business with which you are not affiliated.
4. Charges on your credit card and a bank account that you did not make.
5. Utility or service cancellation notices

Cybersecurity Awareness is to assist you and the people within your reach to understand the dangers and preventive measures to be carried out in the case of an event. Identity Theft being one of the leading causes of fraud requires serious consideration. Performing a routine assessment of your online identity can help you stay protected from any fraud attacks.

Having these points in the back of your mind will help you stay ahead and analyse any identity fraud incidents that you or the people around you may come across.

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