How to Stay Safe on the Web

Identity theft is one of the largest growing criminal activities burgeoning in the world today and criminals are finding more ways of committing this crime without their victims even knowing it. The criminal element will always be there and your identity cannot always be guaranteed to be safe, but you can take some measures to try and prevent this intrusive crime from happening to you.

The history of identity theft

The actual term for stealing someone's identity goes back to 1964 before the domination of computers and the internet. Identities were often stolen by criminals rummaging through rubbish bags and finding old utility bills and bank statements. Armed with this information, criminals would take out loans and buy goods on credit; all at your expense.

Stores and services are strongly vigilant of this method of identity theft and will now ask for official picture identification like a passport or driving license to go along with any necessary paperwork. You can avoid this type of theft by investing in a shredder and dispose of all your paperwork carefully and in 1,000 small pieces to avoid it being legible.

Modern identity theft

The world we live in today is a world of technology and the need to protect yourself online is essential. Shopping is often carried out online, from the groceries through to a new car and many consumers will choose to carry out the transaction online by passing their security details over the internet.

On some occasions this information can be intercepted and used to commit fraud again and again over a period of many months. This can be avoided by taking care when you make purchases online that the page you use is secure.

Online protection

Identity theft is a nuisance and can cause extreme financial difficulties. To alleviate the problem and protect yourself online you should look into an anti-virus for your computer. This is the first step to take to protect yourself and one of the most commonly neglected ways in which you can fight identity thieves. Many different anti-viruses are available on the market and experts will be able to advice you on what is best for your personal online protection, which largely depends on what your computer is used for.

Scams

There are a number of scams out there where criminals trick unsuspecting members of the public into handing over their personal details. Emails, purported to come from your bank asking you to re-confirm your personal details like your address, date-of-birth and even you PIN, are just another form of identity theft. Banks will never ask for these details, they have them already and if you get this type of email forward it to your bank's security team.

Another popular internet-based scam is an email from someone who is in a third world country asking for your bank details so they can transfer in a large sum of money that you will then get half of. Delete it and ignore it as these are always part of a scam to get hold of your bank details. Above all, be very cautious and apply your common sense when you receive emails that seem too good to be true as they usually are.

To stay safe online make sure you always have the best antivirus software on your computer. Use a total pc protection program to fully protect your system.