How to Keep Your Identity Safe Against Cybercriminals

BBB offers advice during National Cyber Security Awareness Month Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN TexasOctober is National Cyber Security Awareness Month which recognizes the importance of cybersecurity. Because of recent cybercrime activityincluding massive data breaches that have compromised millions of consumers personal informationits important to know how to protect yourself against identity theft and other cybercrimes. Cybercrime is just like it sounds: crime that targets people online. Criminals take advantage of the speed convenience and anonymity that the Internet provides for them. Cybercrime comes in many formsonline identity theft financial fraud hacking email spoofing information forgery and intellectual property crime. It can wreak havoc on victims lives and at its worst cybercrime can lead to financial ruin. In 2015 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received nearly 500000 consumer complaints about identity theft. In recognition of National Cyber Security Awareness Month Better Business Bureau serving Central Coastal Southwest Texas and the Permian Basin recommends taking these extra security measures to protect yourself against identity theft and other cybercrimes:

• Keep a clean machine. Whether its a mobile device tablet or laptop make sure security software is current and up-to-date. Having the latest software on all devices can be one of the best defenses against viruses malware and other online threats.
• Protect personal information. Shred all statements and applications you get in the mail that you dont want to keep including credit card applications insurance forms financial statements and billing statements for utilities.
• Change passwords for all online accounts regularly. When changing your password make it long strong and unique with a mix of upper and lowercase letters numbers and symbols. By keeping various passwords on your accounts you lessen the risk of multiple accounts being compromised.
• Check your bank statements and credit report. Read your bank statements monthly and check your balance weekly to make sure no unauthorized transactions have been made to your account. At least once a year get your credit report for free from each of the three credit bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com.
• Connect with care. Use caution when logging on to public Wi-Fi networks and send personal information only to websites that are fully encrypted.
• Stay informed. Keep up with new ways to stay safe online. Check trusted websites for the latest information and share it with family friends and colleagues and encourage them to be web-wise.
• Steer clear of suspicious texts emails and links. Unsolicited emails and pop-up ads can be full of computer viruses designed to steal usernames and passwords from your computer. Dont give in to curiosity; close or delete the message.
• Report it. If your identity has been stolen or compromised contact one of the three credit bureaus (Equifax Experian or TransUnion) to report the crime. Request that the credit bureau place a fraud alert on your credit report to prevent any further fraudulent activity from occurring. As soon as one of the bureaus issues a fraud alert the other two bureaus are automatically notified.

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