Basic Internet Security Tips - Protect from ID Theft – Internet Cyber Crime

Aug. 11, 2012 - PRLog -- Basic Internet Security Tips – Internet Cyber Crime
Protect from ID Theft & InternetCyberCrime
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How to protect yourself from identity theft, bank fraud, and carders
I would like to talk about basic security measures online that any Internet user should follow to protect their personal and financial information from carders and fraud. It is impossible to be 100 % safe from identity theft or bank fraud; however, you can follow this basic security measures and increase your security.


Tip # 1 – Choose the right Operating System (OS)
You might be asking yourself right now – Does it really matter?
Yes, it does. Even though, there are not a lot of OS choices, but by choosing Mac OS over Windows -  will save you from a lot of troubles and headache while surfing the web. There are way more less Trojans and Malware that were created to target Mac users. Windows is the the most popular operating system in the world, and cyber criminals are aware of this. Hacker’s goal is to target and infect as many computers as possible, so it makes sense to program Win OS based software.

Tip # 2 – Be Smart while choosing a Smart Phone – iPhone vs. Android
iPhone is the most popular phone in the United States and World Wide. Android is not too far behind, because there is more than one brand of smart phones who use Android OS in their devices.
Smart Phones enable a lot of tools to make our life easier, so now, we can send money, pay bills, and many other things. I personally do most of my banking through my phone while being stuck in traffic. Financial institutions offer applications that enable us to send wire transfers, buy/sell stocks… Carders are catching up by creating Trojans that steal your financial information through Android OS phones/tablets. Applications that are offered through Android marketplace are much less secured and tested than any iPhone App. I haven’t heard of any Trojan or malware which affects iOS users.  Here we go – Apple wins again.

Tip # 3 – Be careful when using credit cards
Credit Card Fraud affects the most number of of people than any other type of identity and financial fraud. We use credit cards everywhere, so they get the most exposure and a chance of being compromised. There more than one way that you credit card information can get stolen: Online/off-line data breach of the third party, Trojans/Malware, ATM skimmers. There are few steps you can take to decrease the exposure of your credit card information:
- Use Virtual/temporary Credit Cards. These cards offered for free by Bank of America, Pay Pal Prepaid (Bankcorp), and many other banks. How it works? You can generate a temporary card online through your online banking access every time you make an online purchase. After transaction gets processed by the merchant , you deactivate a virtual card. This feature will keep you safe in case merchant gets hacked and date base with credit card numbers gets stolen.

Tip # 4 – Forget Debit
Debit cards are more vulnerable to fraud than credit cards in many extra ways:
•    Using Debit & PIN at Point-Of-Sale (POS) terminals – Data breach can occur in case merchant gets hacked and your Debit Card + PIN can be violated due to lack of encryption.
•    POS can be fake or modified to copy magnet stripe from your card and capture your PIN.
•    ATM Skimmers – devices that carders install inside/outside/over (literally) ATMs with the goal to capture your magnet stripe and PIN. These days ATM skimmers evolved from “old school” camera and hard drive based devices to GSM enabled high-tech models that send your debit card and pin as a text message to any phone.
Even if you end up using your debit card in a grocery store or a gas station don’t run it under debit. Credit cards make it easier to fight unauthorized transaction and get your money back in case fraud occurs.

Tip # 5 – Have some common sense
I think this would be the most important tip for today. Think twice, before answering e-mail about a job offer or claiming your multimillion dollar inheritance from your unknown uncle from Africa. It really shocks me sometimes, when I hear how naive people can be to go for some basic scams that are out there.
I really hope you enjoyed reading this article and learned something new today. Don’t forget to share this story with your friends. If you got any questions or comments – feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me at anytime.

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