Monday, January 3, 2011

Preventing Oneself from Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft or Fraud

There are so many things that can be done via the internet nowadays. Sometimes, it is no longer necessary to leave the comfort of one’s home. As a matter of fact, shopping can be easily done on the web via the purchasing power of credit cards. Such a system can provide convenience to a person. However, it may also pose some threat. Cardholders can become extremely vulnerable to identity theft and fraudulent practices if preventive measures are not taken.

The exposure of credit card accounts in the World Wide Web makes it conducive to cyber crimes. The victims to identity theft and fraud have increased tremendously ever since the flexibility of credit cards online has boomed.

Preventive Measures

Do not fall as a victim of such unlawful deeds. Protect yourself and act upon precaution. Here are some advices on how to avoid an identity from being copied or stolen.

Making purchases online is quite simple, but detecting a reliable seller can be a bit tricky. Hence, a credit cardholder must first ensure that the sites that he or she visits are secure enough. One tell-tale sign that a web page is legitimate is when a padlock icon is present at the right side of the screen. Details about the seller must also appear when the padlock sign is clicked. Most of all, the URL must begin with https://, instead of just http://.

Cyber criminals sometimes put up a legitimate-looking website. They obtain sensitive pieces of information from people by asking those who log in to provide their personal and security details. This is known to many as called “phishing”. That is why people who often use their credit cards online are recommended to put up firewall or a virus scanner detects potential threats.

Beware of messages that often contain offers and alerts through email. Try to avoid opening links that appear strange and dubious.

Choose an internet browser that provides more security. Some of which are Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, and Safari.

There are banks that utilize a scrambler for pins, which activates whenever a credit card user logs in. This will confuse any keyboard reader that tries to decode one’s pin number online. The scrambler will rearrange one’s pin upon entry.

Another great way to prevent identity theft and fraud is by keeping one’s security details private. These things must not be shared to people who are not trustworthy. Also, documents like bank statements and others that contain sensitive information should be shredded prior to being disposed.

Check every data for errors or mistakes. There are companies and merchants that make plain mistakes sometimes. However, if one detects a discrepancy with a credit card transaction, one must try to resolve it from the source immediately. If things still seem unmanageable, then that might be the time to contact the credit card issuer.

It is highly necessary to take such preventive measures. These are the best ways to avoid having losses and other financial problems online. These will also help one enjoy the buying capacity of credit cards further.


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