I get a lot of questions about online identity theft. Many people are afraid to shop online for fear of getting robbed. A lot of people think that it is dangerous to enter your credit card information into a website. They are afraid some unscrupulous hacker is sitting there watching their every move. The truth is that you are actually safer shopping online than in a department store.
While the media loves to sensationalize stories about internet identity theft, that actually accounts for a very small percentage of stolen information. Sure, identity theft does occasionally happen over the internet, but the most popular ways crooks steal people’s information is by simply taking their mail, sifting through their garbage, or picking their pocket. Every time you hand your card to an employee in a restaurant, you are giving them the opportunity to write down you card number. Not that they will, mind you, but there are dishonest people in every profession.
The fact is, websites are very sophisticated now. You key in your VISA, MasterCard, or Discover Card number, and click the payment button, and the information is encrypted, or scrambled, by extremely powerful software. You just need to make sure the page you are entering your information into is Secure, and that is easy! Right now, look at the top of your browser window in the Address Bar. (That’s where you type addresses you want to visit.) The page you are on right now begins with “”http://”". That means it is NOT secure. Before you enter any credit card information into a web page, just look up there and make sure it starts with “”httpS://”". (Capital “”S”" doesn’t matter, I just wanted it to stand out.) As long as the address starts with “”https://”", you are on a secure web page and can safely use your credit card.
That being said, hackers do break into databases and steal credit card numbers sometimes. To avoid having your identity stolen and your credit card used without your consent, most card issuers will supply you with a disposable number. These are temporary numbers that expire after a time you specify. Different issuers have different options, but my bank allows me to create a number that will only work one time, or multiple times but only with one vendor, and they usually let you to set a limit on the transaction amount allowed. That is the safest way to shop online, because even if a hacker steals your credit card number, it is useless to him.
I’m afraid that doesn’t help you with the biggest causes of identity theft, though.
A few things to think about:
- Anyone can easily stand behind you at an ATM, watch you type in your PIN code and then grab your debit card and run away. WATCH your back and if someone walks up behind you, just stop and walk away. Don’t take the chance.
- Be aware when you use your credit card in stores and restaurants. You can’t go through life scared to pull it out, but when you do, keep your eyes on it, and everyone elses’ OFF it. What I mean is, don’t lay it down where the people around you can see the number. There are a lot of people who only need two seconds to memorize to number and expiration date, which is enough most of the time to use the account.
- DO NOT throw away bank statements, credit offers, old checks, or anything else with personal information on it without shredding it! You can get a basic personal shredder cheap now, and it could save you thousands of dollars and hours of headaches.
- Keep your eyes open in your neighborhood, and encourage your neighbors to do the same. Some of the most successful con artists and thieves simply drive through neighborhoods and pull mail out of the boxes. Yes, that is a Federal crime, but they are CRIMINALS! That’s what they DO!
However, not a single one of these same criminals would even know where to start if they wanted to use the internet to try and get your personal information.
So, instead of worrying about the tiny percentage of identity theft that takes place online (which usually occurs as a result of people sending information through email), you should start being more careful about the personal information you leave in your mailbox or throw out in your trash.
My next post, I plan to tell the story of how I got a call from The FBI telling me ALL of my personal information, including my Social Security Number and credit card had been stolen by a hacker overseas…”
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