How to Avoid Identity Fraud

Identity Fraud is a very serious thing. People who are new with computers often fall victim to identity fraud. People who have been around computers for a long time often fall victim to identity fraud too. There are some things you need to know in order to avoid identity fraud. There are things you need to be aware of.

Most identity fraud happens through email. People follow links from their email, enter their information into a site, and the person trying to steal your identity has all of your information. There are ways to avoid identity fraud and precautions you can take. Follow the tips below to keep from being a victim of identity fraud.

Tip 1 – Don’t Follow Emails That Say You Have Won a Prize

I’m sure you have seen the emails that say you have won a prize. Stay away from emails like that. These emails tell you that you have won a prize and you will need to click the link in the email to claim your prize. Once you click the link in the email, you will be carried to a page where you will be asked to enter your personal information. That is when they will take your identity. Stay away from these types of emails, they are only out to steal your identity.

Tip 2 – Be Alert for Phishing Scams

Phishing Scams are people who impersonate websites and try to get your personal information that way. Let me give you an example of a phishing scam. If you have a Paypal account, you have probably seen the emails that ask you to please login and verify your information. 99.9% of these emails are phishing scams. Why? Because if you place your mouse over the link in your email, it does not go to Paypal. It will redirect you to some other site. When you click the link though, the site may look just like Paypal, but it’s not. It is a duplicate of the site. When you receive this type of email, you will need to look closely at the link in the email. Sometimes there is only one letter different in the URL, so be very careful of these types of emails.

Tip 3 – Do Not Use Your Primary Email for Blogs, Forums, Social Sites, and Subscriptions

Using your primary email address for things like forums, blogs, social sites, and subscriptions makes it easy for people to steal your identity. Once they get your primary email address, they find out just about everything else about you. This also opens the door for them to send you phishing emails. If you are going to sign up for forums, social sites, etc., create a new email account. You can create free email accounts with places like Yahoo and Hotmail. When creating these account, don’t enter your real information. Then use this address for all of your forums and stuff.

Tip 4 – Purchase a Firewall or Other Program That Will Help Protect You

There are programs available that will help protect you from identity fraud by checking your incoming and outgoing emails. One of the best programs that offer this type of protection is Zone Alarm Pro. To purchase this program, click here.

The bottom line to avoiding Identity Fraud is being aware of emails sent to you and not following links you aren’t familiar with in emails. Instead of following links to Paypal for example, type the link into your browser. If a friend sends you a link to something, verify that they sent it before visiting it.

To keep up with the lastest phishing and email scams, see this page.