With the continually growing popularity and convenience of the Internet, more and more people are using the Web to do their banking, pay their bills, make purchases, etc. That being said, many are entering personal information online such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, as well as bank account numbers. For this reason, it is important that you are cautious and only enter personal, identifying information on trusted, secure sites; if not, you may fall victim to identity theft through computer scams like phishing.
Phishing occurs when computer hackers send emails that look authentic, but are actually phony and corrupted. The purpose of these emails is to acquire a person’s credentials, like usernames and passwords, for various accounts. Typically, phishing emails make it sound as if a person needs to change their password and/or update their personal account information by clicking on a link provided within the email itself. Consequently, the link will direct you to a fraudulent site where it will ask for and save your personal account information.
Most of the time, hackers target ways to acquire a person’s financial information. If you receive an email that says you need to change your account information/profile, you can always contact the company associated with that account and have them verify that the email was in fact sent from them.
Another way to protect yourself from visiting fraudulent sites would be to get Internet security software installed on your computer. This type of software tells you what sites are safe and what ones are not.
Try not to be too naïve about entering your personal information online; make sure the sites you are using are trustworthy and legit.
What advice do you have about keeping your personal information safe online? Share your opinions!
Subscribe to the American Transcription Association (ATA) Blog and keep in touch!
{ 0 comments… add one now }