Friday, March 28, 2014

How to Protect your Identity

Many people fail to pay attention to securing their personal information in the right way and a few unfortunate people end up getting their identity stolen which could create a disaster that will take a long time to fix and report. In this blog I will be talking about specific ways to insure that your identity will be safe at all times if these instructions are followed.


First keeping your personal information secure offline:
By keeping your financial information and personal information such as bank accounts and social security number locked in a safe.
You should always ask people why they need the information they are asking for when applying for jobs and etc and always ask how they will safeguard and how they will use the information.
Safely dispose written documents that thief's might find useful by shredding it or burning it.

Second keeping your personal information secure online:
By being alert and aware of impersonators who might try to act like an employee or agent to collect information.
Safely disposing your personal computer or mobile device by removing all personal information before you get rid of it.
Encrypt your data by making sure to use encryption programs to scramble your personal information when it is posted on the internet.

Third securing your social security number:
To be safe when giving a company your social security number, ask these following questions before giving your information:
*Why they need it?
*How it will be used?
*How they will protect it?
*What happens if you dont share the number?
note that a lot of companies will not provide their service for you unless you provide them your social security number.

Fourth keep your devices secure:
*Use security soft wear such as anti-virus and anti-spy wear soft wear.
*Avoid phishing emails that contain viruses and avoid clicking on adds.
*Be wise about using public wireless networks when sharing your personal information.
*Lock your laptop/smartphone with a strong password.
*Read privacy policies.

Written by: Majed Alnahidh


4 comments:

  1. I found this to be very helpful! Info on social media sites is always a tricky one. But luckily there are different settings for who is allowed to see what info. I always try to check my settings monthly.

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    1. Thank you very much for your comment. checking your privacy settings regularly is very important especially on well known social networks such as facebook and twitter. I also always make sure i know the person that is adding me personally before accepting the add.

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  2. Great tips about how to keep your identity secured. I personally liked the first tip you talked about it. I think that it's very important to always keep your documents in a safe place and only carry the important things on you. Because I think losing your wallet is just as bad as losing your email password or even worse. I think people pay much attention about securing their info online but you find them losing their social security card easily.

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    1. Thank you for your comment, you should also make sure to safely burn or shred the mail you receive that may be considered junk mail because even simple information like your address and name can be useful to impersonators.

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