How To Avoid Identity Theft
Posted on December 31, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized |
I’m sure you’ll all be pleased to know that even during these times of the credit crunch there is still one industry enjoying a growth period, unfortunately, it’s Identity Theft … the easiest way for fraudsters to blight your life and stress you still further!
So how do you overcome the potential vagaries of Identity theft and what is it. Identity theft is not just somebody copying your dress sense or sense of style, identity theft is something far more sinister and involves the theft of your very existence right down to banking details, credit cards and even your medical history.
Many people are blissfully unaware of how simple it is to get somebody else’s personal information without too much effort. It is probably far too easy for example do you shred you paperwork or destroy expired credit cards?
Well that’s just common sense isn’t it?, but do you also shred all the promotional bumf, special offer balance transfer rates, why not have one of our wonderful credit card pamphlets et al, all of which have your name and address printed on them?
If you bank online and don’t consider any of the above a risk then, you still need to consider your internet usage habits. We have all been educated to not use the same passwords and serial numbers for all our accounts and transaction, but living in the real world we all struggle to remember numerous password and user combinations and tend to use the same one leaving ourselves wide open.
Un-shredded paperwork and internet activity is not the only way an unscrupulous operator will get hold of your information though. With so much information being held on computer hard drives, pen drives and mobile phones sometimes these are areas of easy pickings for the Identity thief or even random opportunist.
You need to take sensible precaution when disposing of old or unused computers and laptops (or hard drives). Selling them on one of the many auction sites may earn yourself a little extra pocket money, but are you aware that even if you have formatted the drive you have just given away all your personal data. Hard drive recovery experts are only limited to professional companies, the criminal element have access to this capability as well.
Many people are unaware of the availability of hard drive shredding or secure data disposal services that reputable companies offer. Drives can be literally shredded into tiny pieces or if you are a firm believer in recycling you can arranged for your drive to be securely wiped and certified and the certain components can be used for repair or failed drive re-builds.
To find out more about secure data wiping and hard drive disposal call or speak to your local data recovery services company. For visit here for more great computer and laptop repair help.
Comments
Leave a Reply
