Protecting Yourself from Internet Account Takeovers
Internet account takeovers involve an individual accessing email and social networking accounts, changing passwords and then contacting your listed contact in order to gain personal information. These individuals can also create fraudulent email accounts or social networking profiles in your name to take this type of information as well. It is important as a consumer, if you use email or a social networking site; you need to know how to prevent this from happening under your name.
Protecting Email
Always have a printed list of contacts that are listed in your email account. That way if for any reason your email address has been taken over, you can immediately notify contacts within your address book of the takeover before they receive any fraudulent emails. In the event your account has been taken over, it is important to note that you may not have access to your account for some time; therefore you will need to change your email address with any companies or individuals that send items to it.
Protecting Social Networking Profiles
When you sign up with a social networking site, your profile is usually listed automatically as “public”. Counteract that by setting it to “private” so that only your listed friends can see the profile. Never put personal information such as your date of birth, address, social security number, driver’s license number, or even your employment location on your social profile. Even if they are close family members or friends, never share your social networking password with anyone.
Internet Safety in General
When using the internet, you will need passwords for email accounts and other types of sites. Never use the same password for all of your online accounts and be sure to avoid online password storage systems. When surfing the web, ensure that your anti-spyware and anti-virus software is up to date before actually accessing the internet. Never click on advertisements or banners that are located on the websites you visit. Often these are spam sites that contain malicious software.