Identity Theft And The Computer

The home computer is one of the newer places for
identity theft to occur. Many people don't understand
how it can happen to them but later realize they
really messed up using online services that just
weren't secure.

An intelligent identity thief can easily get all of
your personal information and use it to destroy your
credit which could take years to repair even if you
prove you are a victim.

One of the easiest ways for someone to get more
information than you can imagine is when you simply
upgrade, donate or throw away your old computer.

People can be so excited about their new computer that
they simply unplug their old one and set it aside
until it's time to dispose of it.

This is one of the worst things you can do. That old
computer has all of your computer cookies, bookmarks,
emails, and everything you ever looked at on it.

Someone just has to take it home and plug it in to see
what you have been doing, buying, and looking at.

The Internet itself is used to gain access to all
kinds of personal information. College students are at
very high risk because their personal information and
grades are often posted on the Internet so they can
check it.

All it takes is someone to figure out their password
and they now have everything they need. It's not hard
to stop this from happening in the first place.

Use difficult passwords. Don't use anything that is
related to you. No numbers, no names, nothing like
that. Choose a password that is eight to ten
characters long with numbers and letters in it. That
is very hard to crack.