Identity theft is when someone steals your identity.  This crime entails ruining someone’s economic viability.  The criminal penalties prove exuberant with this crime, but sadly, it proves difficult to catch sophisticated identity thieves. It proves necessary for anyone to take the necessary precautions in protecting not only their identity but their financial security.

These three tips can significantly assist in protecting your identity while browsing or shopping online:

1.      Protect your computer

There are few people who can state that their computers have never been affected by viruses.  IF you have never had to deal with computer viruses, consider yourself lucky, but you will probably end up dealing with computer viruses in the future.  The first thing you need to do is purchases anti-virus software for your computer. An anti-virus program that is updated can protect your computer from not only viruses but Worms, Trojans and Malware. This program actively watches for these security issues as you open emails and browse the Internet.  These programs provide substantial protection, but they are rarely enough which is why a decent Ad blocker or Anti-Spyware program should always be added to your computer security force.

Recommended Anti-virus and ad blocker programs:

• Ad-Aware by Lavasoft
• Webroot Spy Sweeper
• McAfee Anti-Virus and AVG Anti-Virus

You must keep in mind that having these software’s does not guarantee that you will never have any security problems, but you will have considerably less, and the software will allow you to recover many times faster if you undergo these types of attacks.

2.      Always protect your personal information

If you want to prevent identity theft when shopping online, you must first ask yourself the following questions about websites:

• Does the website offer secure pages to enter your credit and bank card information to include personal information?
• Does the website have an SSL certificate?

For the record, you should become familiar with the lock symbol which can be located at the bottom of the page.  This means that the page you are on is secure and safe to enter your financial and personal information.   Look at the web address located at the top of your browser. Ensure the URL reads, HTTPS (“S” means secure).  The lock symbol, and the “https” lets you know that the page is now safe and secure and you can now submit your information needed for purchases.

 

SSL certificates rearrange your data allowing it to travel safely from your computer to the website, where it is then unscrambled for use.

3.      Shop only on protected websites that have been scanned

 

Some people confuse the terms safe and secure with most believing they mean the same thing when it comes to online security.  Having websites that have not been scanned is much the same as the doors to your bank account being wide open.  It is a proven fact that almost seventy-five percent of online websites contain vulnerabilities that hackers eagerly use to harvest information from.  This proves scary, but what proves even scarier is that the majority of website owners believe their websites are protected.

 

The fact is, website security in general has proved so inept that large credit companies such as MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover have bonded together with forming what is called the Payment Card Industry Council.  This council protects customers and websites who use credit cards from credit fraud and identity thefts while making purchases online.

 

• The PCI council requires PCI scans on new websites that process and accepts credit cards for payments.  The PCI scan searches for vulnerabilities. Once the website is scanned, reports are produced and handed over to the website owner, so they can correct any vulnerabilities present.
• PCI scanning is not always enforced by website owners, and this means that if you conduct business on their website, your personal and financial information will not be safe.

4.      Look for security scanned seals

 

How do you know the seals are genuine?  Unbelievably, there are shrouded website owners who will copy and paste security seals and put them on their websites. They do this lamentable task because they know viewing the “seal” will increase your confidence about shopping on their website.  Companies such as McAfee have tackled this problem with the greatest of expertise.  Legitimate companies such as McAfee create secure seals that prove highly susceptible to this practice. Mcafee security seals contain security features mixed in with copy and pasting features.

 

How can you identify a genuine security seal?

 

• You will find that true security seals contain extensive details, and they will include the companies name or website inside of the seal.  This makes it difficult to duplicate.  Legitimate seals will also contain “Passed with the current date” or “Valid through a future date”.

 

• If you drag your mouse over the seal and continue to hold it there, on the bottom of your browser window, you will see a URL that begins with “https”.

 

A quick recap about protecting your identity

 

Protect your computer with reliable anti-virus and anti-spyware programs before surfing the Internet.

Search for the  symbol on the bottom of pages and the “https” in the address bar.

Search for Security Scanned seals on websites before shopping there.

Ensure the security seal is legitimate by dragging your mouse over the seal. Click on the seal and ensure it opens with the official URL https.

Author Bio: The article is a contribution by Alfred Richards, Alfred being an online programmer has immense knowledge on how you can save yourself from identity theft and also how you can secure your online transactions, visit his site VPN service and iVPN.net for more information.

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