How Can I protect My Online Accounts for Identity Thieves?
There are now quite a few different online banking and credit card management facilities available on the Internet, and it is just as important that you protect these types of accounts as you would any other sensitive and confidential financial information.
Passwords
You must never reveal your online account password and sign in information to anyone, as this is literally the key to your account, and if someone else has this information they can log in and access all of your money and account details. Also think carefully about your password, and choose one that is unique, with a good mix of letters and numbers. Don’t use obvious passwords such as your name, address or birth date, as although these are easy to remember they are also the first passwords a thief or hacker would try if they were trying to fraudulently access your account.
Computer Security
You should never use a computer that does not have adequate anti-malware software in place when surfing the Internet, especially if you are logging onto online accounts.
Additional Security Measures
Online payment facilities such as PayPal and many of the major banks are now also offering more sophisticated security measures such as card readers, which means that in addition to providing your password when paying someone through your account or setting up new direct debits you will also be asked to put your account card in the reader, which with then generate a 6 digit unique code for you. You will then need to input this code alongside your password in order to process your request. Card readers prevent hackers and thieves from accessing your accounts remotely from another computer, as they will not be able to transfer any money or make any changes to your account without the unique 6 digit code from the card reader.