OnYourMark, LLC Blog

This month‘s Pro is Kristen Day, Internet Marketing Consultant at OnYourMark, LLC. Kristen offers advice on how to protect yourself from identity theft when using the Internet.

Between January and December 2004, Consumer Sentinel, the complaint database developed and maintained by the FTC, received over 635,000 consumer fraud and identity theft complaints. Consumers reported losses from fraud of more than $547 million.* With identity theft running rampant, it is more important than ever to be aware of where your personal information is going.

The Internet has provided an easy tool for identity thieves to do their work. Many thieves obtain personal information because it is unknowingly volunteered by Internet users. Phishing is a common tactic used to trick users into relinquishing personal details.

In a phishing scam, the user receives an email that appears to be a legitimate entity, such as a bank, eBay or retail store. The emails often claim that the user’s account information was lost, and the user must confirm his or her details by visiting a website and entering personal data. The link in the email takes the user to a form page that the scammer has set up, not the legitimate company’s website. The user enters contact information, credit card or bank account numbers, social security numbers or other personal details. With the simple submission of this form, the user has just handed over everything scam artists needs to wreck havoc.

More advanced scammers use Spyware to steal personal information. Spyware is any type of program that collects information about a user without prior disclosure of such behavior. Spyware is often secretly installed with freeware, shareware, media players and other downloads on the Internet. Some viruses also install spyware. When the user operates these programs, the spyware runs behind the scenes, logging information about the user and transferring it to the software company or a third-party.

Just a few simple precautions will help you prevent your identity from being stolen online.

• Verify who you are dealing with! Legitimate companies rarely, if ever, ask for personal details via email. If you receive an email from your bank asking for personal information, call the bank to verify the legitimacy of the email.
• If you are entering credit card information into a website, such as Amazon.com, check that the URL at the top of your browser is indeed www.amazon.com, not a bogus URL like www.xpq7899.com!
• Be cautious about what programs you download. Sites like SpyChecker.com offer analysis on programs suspected of containing spyware.
• Keep the anti-virus software on your computer current. New viruses are created every day.
• Do not open emails or attachments from senders that you do not know. If an attachment from a colleague or friend looks suspicious, better safe than sorry– don’t open it!
• Review the privacy policy on websites. The policy should disclose how your information is used, and by whom. If the site is not clear in disclosing this, think twice about giving out your details!
• Do not store personal information on your computer whenever possible. Don’t allow browsers or websites to store your passwords. Don’t write passwords down.
• Use an email monitoring program like Postini to reduce the amount of spam you receive.

If you are a victim of identity theft, the FTC recommends the following:

• Contact the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) to place a fraud alert on your credit file.
• Contact your financial institutions about the theft. Suspend accounts that have been tampered with.
• File a police report and obtain copies. You may need to submit the reports to creditors requesting proof of the theft.
• Contact your local Department of Motor Vehicles and the Social Security Administration if your driver’s license or Social Security number have been compromised.
• File a report with the FTC. The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations.

Links Mentioned in this Article:

- www.consumer.gov/idtheft
- www.onyourmark.com/cr_newsletters/july2004.pdf
- www.onyourmark.com/cr_newsletters/pr0703.pdf
- www.amazon.com
- www.spychecker.com
- www.ssa.gov/pubs/10002.html#lost
- https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/widtpubl$.
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