How safe are your financial accounts? Unfortunately, far too many people fail to take the steps necessary to protect themselves from online fraud. A new report takes a look at the propensity of hackers to target companies, and it also contains some tips that can be followed by anyone looking to protect themselves.
A security expert interviewed for the story contends that, because online is where all the money is, that’s where fraud is taking place. He compares the situation to that of banks being robbed 100 years ago. And although hacking seems like a new phenomenon, he explains that the practice dates all the way back to at least the 70s. Victimization requires companies to go into action to protect their customers’ sensitive information, and doing so isn’t always easy.
However, there are precautions you can take to limit your exposure to danger. If you sign up for a product or service with a company, don’t be keen to provide every piece of identification information at the slightest provocation. Most businesses won’t require you to provide sensitive information, and if they do, a phone call might be in order.
This is particularly important when it comes to security questions. These are used to verify your identity if you lose your password. But it’s not hard for a scammer to get ahold of these answers, especially in this era of social media proliferation. A little exploration on your Facebook account can reveal all a person would need to know to crack the answer to your security question. Provide fake answers when you’re prompted, and limit the information you fill in on social accounts.