These days you can’t escape the internet. There are lots of ways it can help you professionally and personally—from sending letters to your child in College, to managing your investment portfolio, to discussing classical literature and that new Balenciaga bag with readers all over the world. Instant electronic contact with friends and co-workers is a modern miracle that internet helps us with. It comes in handy during tax time, too. You can get picture-perfect copies of both the federal and state forms without having to leave your house.
We use it for recreational purposes, too, to get movie reviews, car maintenance tips and even advice on how to get catch a cheating spouse. But best of all, we can shop till we drop online. But do you know that when you shop online, you expose yourself to privacy invaders of all stripes? Some of the hype about the dangers of online shopping is doubtlessly overblown, but some privacy concerns are warranted because when you shop, you give out personal and financial. Personal information you provide online may get into the hands of unscrupulous people and may be used against you.
How do they do it?
Use an on-screen keyboard when you are using a public computer or if you suspect your computer is affected by keylogger
Key Logger is a small piece of device or hardware which is usually inserted between the keyboard port and the keyboard. Its function is to record all user keystrokes to its internal memory. This is good if you want to monitor your children’s computer activities at home but some computer shops use this to get information on their customers. So don’t ever check your email, PayPal account and of course, do online shopping wherein you have to give personal data and password in unsecured networks.
Unencrypted wireless network is also a threat to you because hackers with certain basic knowledge and bad intention can easily intercept information like your log-in info and password. Someone with access to the same network as you can follow your movement on the Internet in real time, know the websites you visit and the emails you send and receive. The most important thing for you to do is to make sure your wireless network and wireless router at home is encrypted using WPA or WPA2.
Firewalls, anti-virus and anti-spyware can’t always protect you from nosy people because new viruses and malware get created every day. So should you even bother with Anti-virus software? The answer is yes. It’s still better than nothing at all because all of the common and older viruses and malware will be detected, so you get some protection. But all the newest variants are undetectable and you are still vulnerable to some threats.
So what should you do to protect yourself from identity theft and still enjoy the convenience of shopping online?
- Deal with reputable online shops and sellers like Apple Bazaar. Always look for evidence of physical address and valid contact numbers and check the seller’s reputation.
- Use an appropriate, safe means of online payment to get some protection against identity theft and non-delivery. Never enter a card number unless you can see a padlock in the web browser window’s frame rather than in the web page itself. The website address should also begin with https://. (S stands for secure)
- Do not send your credit card details in an email, this is not a secure means of transmitting information and can be copied easily to others even if your email is encrypted.
- Always print out a copy of your order and a copy of the acknowledgement that you should receive and always check your bank statements carefully if you purchase something on the Internet.
- Use secure websites and check the seller’s privacy policy. The policy should include what information the seller is gathering about you, how the seller will use this and if you can opt out of these terms.
