Identity Theft | Guarding Your Personal Information Online

Last updated on July 13th, 2024 at 01:32 am

With the development of the internet and the widespread use of the computer, crime has also taken on a new look. The computer has made it possible for crimes that had previously required a person to be present to be committed from afar. The types of crimes have also changed, creating major problems for world leaders.

Some security issues associated with computer use are identity theft, copyright infringement, and cyberbullying. All of us must learn how to be safe online, as well as how others can misuse our information.

Identity theft is a situation where an individual illegally obtains and uses the identity of another person to commit fraud or theft. In today’s article, the main focus would be:

• What identity theft is;
• Reasons for identity theft;
• Information that you should protect online; and
• Steps that you can take to prevent identity theft.

What is identity theft? Define identity theft

Identity theft is a cyberattack in which a criminal steals and uses your personal information for their own gain, leaving you, the owner of the identity, to suffer the consequences. Stolen information may include credit card information, social security numbers, bank account information, and other important personal information.

What is the purpose of stealing a person’s identity

The purpose of stealing an individual’s identity is usually to commit a crime, which includes fraud or other illicit activities for financial gain. Here are some reasons as to why someone would want to steal the identity of others;

• Financial fraud refers to stolen Identity being used by cyber criminals to make unauthorized purchases.
• Tax fraud is filing fraudulent tax returns using the stolen identity of others in order to claim refunds or benefits.
• Evading detection: Using the stolen identities in order to avoid detection by law enforcement or evade legal consequences for past and present actions.
• Criminal activities: A person can use a stolen identity to commit a crime thereby potentially implicating the person who actually owns the stolen identity instead of the cyber-criminal.
• Cyber espionage, also known as cyber spying, is a type of attack against a government or company that seeks to access information to gain an advantage.

How identity theft affects you

Any individual who has or will ever have their identity stolen may have to face some serious repercussions such as financial losses, damaged credit, emotional distress, legal troubles, difficulty obtaining credit or services, and loss of trust. With all of these effects, an individual may never recover. Identity theft can end life as you know it. In the best-case scenario, you may have to restart from the bottom, to build up trust, etc.

What constitutes personal information that needs protection

The type of personal information that you should protect at all times includes those that others can use to identify, impersonate, contact, or locate you. Such information is usually categorized as sensitive or insensitive, which includes but is not limited to:

• Personal characteristics: This refers to information on your personal attributes such as height, weight, gender, and race.
• Basic identifiers: These would include addresses (physical and email), identification numbers, and phone numbers.
• Health and medical information: Medical records, health insurance information, and other information pertaining to your health.
• Financial information: Banking details, credit card information, income details, and financial transactions.
• Biometric data: fingerprints, facial recognition software, voice recognition, retina scan, and other biometric identifiers.
• Sensitive personal information: this type of information would include ethnicity, political opinion, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union memberships, etc;

How do I protect my identity online?

Protecting your identity online is very important, especially in this new digital era where cyber threats are a critical issue; here are some ways to protect your devices and information from cyber criminals:

• The use of strong, unique passwords, while not one hundred percent safe, is one of the best methods to use, seeing as it will be nearly impossible to guess the password without other factors coming into play.
• Enable 2-factor authentication: This setting ensures that to gain access to personal files on any of your devices, they will require a password as well as another form of identification.
• Regularly updating software and operating systems will ensure that your device has the latest security patch available.
• We need to be cautious about who we share personal information with online. If possible, we should avoid sharing any personal information on social media. This is because cybercriminals can find and such information for illegal activities, etc.

What to do if someone steals your identity

If your identity ever gets stolen you should act immediately to metigate any potential damage:

• Your first step should be to report your identity as stolen to the Federal Trade Commission via the necessary contact info provided by them. You should also file a report with your local police station.
• Additionally, you should notify whichever organizations or companies the fraud occurred in and request that all your accounts be frozen and fraud alerts to be placed on your credit files.
• Just to be extra sure that the identity thief does not get access to your accounts and credit cards you can update all passwords and security measures placed on them to prevent any further access and usage of your accounts and credit cards.

Before you go

Remember to take our end-of-lesson quiz above to ensure you understand the implications of Identity theft. Additionally, if you have any questions or comments, be sure to leave it in the comment section below and we will get back to you in a timely manner.