Keeping it personal…

You would probably be surprised to know how much personal information is stored on your computer. Every time you use your computer for online shopping or bill paying, personal information is stored in you computer’s memory — information that can put you at risk.

According to the Better Business Bureau web site (www.bbbonline.org/Idtheft), identity theft, also known as identity fraud, is access to personal account information that leads to fraud. The web site also states that 90% of identity fraud does not occur online, and only 2.3% of victims are over 65. While these statistics are encouraging, anyone who uses the Internet should be vigilant about security. The following are simple guidelines that will help protect you and your sensitive information.

1. When logging on to secure web sites, choose passwords that are not easy to figure out. Don’t use obvious words like birthdays, your mother’s maiden name or the name of your pet. Change passwords often, and don’t use the same password for all the web sites you visit.
2. Do not respond to e-mails that appear suspicious. If you do not know who sent an email, delete it.
3. Never open an email attachment unless you are sure of its origin. If someone you do not know sends you a photo, music file, or any other type of attachment, delete it before opening.
4. Consider having more than one email address. Use one for corresponding with friends and family and another one for online shopping. If you have a problem with an email address, delete it and create a new one.
5. When completing online purchases, check for https at the beginning of the address in the address bar. This denotes a secure, encrypted web site used for transferring personal data. If are not sure you are on a secure site, do not enter your credit card information.

Even if you observe all of the above guidelines, you have to be wary of Phishing scams, one of the most popular methods of perpetrating online identity fraud. Unsavory individuals send email to the customers of financial institutions or ecommerce web sites (such as Paypal or Amazon.com) asking for a review or update of account information. The email will look legitimate and include a link to a web site that will be a replica of the company’s real web site. Once on the fake web site, the victim will be asked to enter personal information such as account numbers, social security number and passwords.

Reputable institutions and ecommerce sites will never ask for personal information via email. If you receive such an email and you think it might be legitimate, contact the purported sender by telephone before acting upon the email.

While personal vigilance is the first line of defense against online fraud, it is also important to keep your computer up-to-date with software that will help protect against computer invasion and fraud — which will be the subject of next week’s OnMouseClick.