Stolen information is a growing problem for a lot of Americans today, and due to the rise of technology and the internet, it Is only getting easier for a talented hacker or someone with malice in mind to steal your personal information. Think about your own personal information, and how many places on the World Wide Web your information is sitting. It’s frightening to think it could be taken from you and used maliciously. A big target for information swiping are men and women in the military. This is for a couple reasons. One, military members get a steady paycheck from the federal government every 2 weeks and the government pays for everything for them so identity thieves know for certain that military members have money in their accounts. The second reason is because it is so easy to identify a service member, especially on social networks like Facebook. In this article, I will be sharing with you the importance of keeping your personal information private, and I will be giving you some insight on the many different forms of personal information there is.
We spend so much time online, and we are flipping back and forth between internet tabs so often that it would be easy to lose track of where we keep our personal information. Traditionally, the term “personal information” just means your name, address, and social security number, but not in 2017, It barely does a number on what personal information really all includes. Personal information is now taking the form of things like status updates, what your tweets consists of, or your shared photos on Instagram. You need to make sure that you are taking the extra step to keep your privacy and ultimately your sanity, because you don’t know stress until you get a call from Lifelock saying your identity is being used anywhere but with you.
There are so many other attacks that you can fall victim too other than stolen identity. It is vital to use your personal information carefully and avoid problems concerning your bank account information, credit card scams and any other fraudulent or malicious activity. Let’s say you were to post a picture of the brand new 50-inch LCD television, it would be easier than you think for burglar to find your address somewhere across the web and invade your home. Then, one day you come home to a house full of nothing but a pile of clothes.
When you bank online, you might be thinking this bank probably has the best encryption out there, there’s no way anyone could break into the database and steal my information. Wrong. It happens every day and it has never been more important to protect your banking information. You should change your password frequently and use good judgement when you plan to log in to your bank account on public Wi-Fi.
Oh, you’re excited about that upcoming trip to Florida? Guess what, so is any potential robber that sees you post that and knows or can find out where you live. Be careful posting about your vacation plans because you could be inviting someone to enter your home and steal all your valuables. Yes, even the teddy bear you’ve had since you were a baby.
You apply for the job of your dreams. You think this is it, all the hard work and sacrifice has paid off, you know you are going to land this job. One problem though, you forgot about that Facebook status you wrote last week that said “All Donald Trump supporters are ignorant.” Don’t post things like that! Your future employer is going to see it and automatically associate that post with your knack for controversial statements. It is a turn off, watch what you post about politics, religion, or any controversial topic in general.
I hope that by reading this article you have a better understanding of the potential dangers that lie on the internet. A careless post is not worth the hassle of going through all the hoops to get your identity back, or an unauthorized purchase, or all the valuables in your home back with insurance. It truly is not worth the risk, when it is so simple and easy to just better protect your information.