How To Reduce Your Risk of Identity Theft

As an individual without proper cyber protection, there’s a high chance you could fall victim to identity theft.

‍

Proving that your identity was stolen is extremely difficult and cumbersome.

‍

Apart from the fear and anxiety that comes with your stolen identity, your credit rating is negatively affected. That, in turn, affects your chances of receiving better rates on insurance and loans in the future. As well, it can impact your reputation and future employment opportunities.
‍

‍

What Can You Do?

To make things harder for criminals or cybercriminals to get a hold of your information for potential identity theft, follow these steps below.

1. Keep your social security number secure

Your social security number holds a ton of importance to your identity. If a cybercriminal were to get a hold of it, it could be very hard to prove your identity and you may not be able to travel, work, etc.

2. Be vigilant to phishing scams

Phishing scams are extremely common. Cybercriminals will sometimes impersonate other companies or people to get you to give your private information over. Sometimes you won’t even know that the site you entered your login information into was fake. 

3. Keep your passwords strong and unique for all of your systems

If a cybercriminal is able to get a hold of a password, and that person uses the same password for all of their systems, this could lead to a major breach of information. Don’t use common passwords that are easy to guess or involve information about you such as birthdays, pets, colours, family names, etc. Lastpass is a great password management tool for keeping track of your passwords and generating new ones.

4. Use multi-factor authentication for everything

By using MFA, you’re significantly reducing your risk of a breach. This means less chance of a cybercriminal getting into your systems and therefore they can’t make malicious actions on your behalf. An authenticator app is free and easy to use, we suggest you get one and use it whenever possible.

5. Monitor your email, bank accounts, credit card reports, financial accounts, etc.

Always monitor your important and private systems and accounts. If you ever see anything suspicious or unknown, it’s a good practice to seek help and stop malicious activity early. Don’t let problems get worse by waiting or infrequent monitoring. Your identity is on the line!