Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the United States. Identity thieves can get your information in a variety of ways. One of the most popular ways for these crooks to steal your identity is through a computer. There are things you can do to minimize the risk of having your identity stolen online.
Virtual Account Numbers
Some credit card companies offer cardholders the opportunity to use virtual account numbers when shopping online. Using virtual account numbers eliminates the need to give out your actual credit card information.
To generate a virtual credit card number, you download special software directly from the credit card company. You can set an expiration date for the virtual number as long as it does not exceed the real expiration date of your card. The virtual number can be used any time you don't have to physically show a credit card. If you believe your identity has been compromised, you can close down the virtual number and obtain a new virtual number to use.
Phishing Schemes
Scammers sometimes use pop-up ads and phony emails in order to gain access to your personal and financial information. If you receive an email that looks like it came from a financial institution and asks for your information, ignore it and forward the message to your bank and spam@uce.gov to ensure that the proper steps are taken to shut down the site.
A legitimate company will never ask for your information via email. In addition, a legitimate company will never send you an email that tells you to call a phone number in order to gain access to a refund or for more information regarding a transaction on your account. VoIP phone technology has evolved and what you think is a local number could actually be a dummy terminal in Nigeria. You can prevent online identity theft by remaining skeptical of any email you get requesting financial information.
If you think you have become a victim of a phishing expedition, file a complaint with the FTC and contact your banks and credit card companies.
Wireless Technology
Wireless technology has gained a lot of popularity the last few years. Many people use wireless Internet connections for their laptops and other peripherals such as the iPod touch. Crooks can intercept the wireless transmissions in order to obtain your personal financial information. You can prevent online identity theft by taking some precautions with your wireless Internet connection.
Use only WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) encryption instead of WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption. WPA connections are much harder for scammers to hack into. Never, ever disclose your financial information on an unencrypted computer. You can also turn off the feature that announces your router's presence in the area. Firewalls, antivirus software and password protected access are all buffers you can use to prevent online identity theft through your wireless connection.
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