| How many of you bank, shop, or transact other | | | | purporting to be from your creditors or |
| business online? There are at least 4 million | | | | financial institutions asking you to validate |
| Department pf Defense employees that access | | | | your account information. Call them instead, |
| their pay records online only. Even offline, | | | | if you believe it is valid. Most financial or |
| stored financial data can be placed at risk | | | | credit organizations will never send you an |
| in computers that are used on the Internet as | | | | email unless you have asked to receive |
| well. As one of the fastest growing crimes in | | | | account updates. The last thing you need to |
| America, identity theft is a concern for | | | | be aware of online is who you are doing |
| everyone.A criminal gaining access to your | | | | business with. Be careful about providing |
| bank or credit card accounts or personal | | | | your credit card numbers online. While |
| information can wreak havoc with your credit | | | | ensuring the site is secure is absolutely the |
| and leave you holding the bag. Protecting | | | | bare minimum, ensuring the vendor is honest |
| your personal data at home and online is not | | | | and keeps your data secure is necessary |
| too painful and lowering your risk for a | | | | too.Offline, you should secure any financial, |
| reasonable effort level is well worth | | | | health, insurance, or other documents |
| it.Before we tackle the computer and online | | | | containing your personal information by using |
| environment, let's take a quick look at your | | | | encryption and password protection. Most |
| other home risks. Your garbage can and mail | | | | financial software packages have this feature |
| box are prime targets for identity thieves. | | | | built in. Use it as well as Windows encrypted |
| Bills, old checks, financial statements, | | | | folders to make your private data secure from |
| credit offers, the list goes on. All of these | | | | undetected Spyware, or short term physical |
| documents need to be shredded with a crosscut | | | | access to your computer by a criminal. Don't |
| shredder before discarding and mail should | | | | use Windows auto-logon features and always |
| never be left in the mail box for long. | | | | use complex passwords that are at least eight |
| Arrange for someone to pickup mail if you are | | | | characters long, contain numbers, letters, |
| going to gone from your home for more than a | | | | and both upper and lower case. Never use a |
| day. In short, anything with your full name | | | | common word, name, or other easily guessed |
| combined with any other sensitive information | | | | password. Something like T8$f~lly can be easy |
| should be shredded before discarding.Phishing | | | | to remember, though very hard to guess and |
| and social engineering are methods to get you | | | | extremely time consuming to hack. Finally, |
| to divulge your data to a criminal by making | | | | change all of your passwords frequently and |
| you believe the criminal represents an | | | | use a secure password manager to keep them |
| organization or interest with access or | | | | organized.The last thing you need to do is |
| rights to your information. Any phone call | | | | monitor your accounts and credit. Keep on eye |
| you receive from someone requesting your | | | | on your financial account activities and your |
| personal information or credit card numbers | | | | credit record. If you notice something amiss, |
| should be suspect. Request a way to call them | | | | call the financial organization or credit |
| back via the organization's published numbers | | | | reporting agency and report it, change your |
| and verify the number is associated with the | | | | passwords and pat yourself on the back for |
| organization before proceeding. Suspect good | | | | catching it early.My own Yahoo account was |
| deals that come to you out of the blue via | | | | recently compromised. While this wasn't a |
| the telephone or any other method. If it | | | | costly identity theft situation, it did put |
| sounds too good to be true, it probably | | | | my name on some rather unsavory low-level |
| is.Now for your computer, there are a few | | | | spam operations. A password change was all |
| things you should do here. Your online | | | | that was needed to shut down the |
| activities pose the greatest risk. You need a | | | | activity.Follow the directions I've provided |
| hardware, or good software firewall. You need | | | | and you will lower your risk of identity |
| good Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware software. | | | | theft and fraud related debts to almost zero. |
| The software versions will need regular | | | | Keep in mind that if you have Bill Gate's |
| updates to keep ahead of the hackers out | | | | level of assets, you are in a different class |
| there.You also need to take some precautions | | | | of high risk targets and should hire a |
| with your own personal online and offline | | | | security team to manage those risks and lower |
| habits. Online, you should use different, | | | | your insurance rates. You can also call me |
| complex passwords for each identity related | | | | and I'd be happy to help you put that |
| account you access. You should set your | | | | together. ;-)Lyle Sharp - President Advotech, |
| browser security settings as high as possible | | | | LLC |
| for general surfing and avoid clicking | | | | |
| advertising links from unknown vendors, or | | | | A small to medium business IT services |
| links in emails that come from unknown | | | | provider that specializes in affordable |
| senders or are out of character for the known | | | | secure systems and practices. |
| sender. Never follow links sent via email | | | | |