Identity theft, also known as identity theft, is a fairly common cyber threat as people spend more and more time online. Simple everyday things like checking your credit card balance or connecting your device to Wi-Fi can leave you vulnerable to such attacks.
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Identity Theft: What is identity theft?
Identity theft, also known as identity fraud, occurs when someone gains access to your personal data (e.g., social security number, phone number, date of birth, etc.) and uses it without your knowledge.
The scammer can use your information to empty your bank accounts, open new ones with your own details, make purchases in your name, and more.
Many people fall victim to identity theft when companies they have given their information to are breached by hackers. In data breaches, hackers illegally access a company's database and steal sensitive employee or customer information. Criminals can then use the stolen information to commit identity theft or sell it to others on the dark web.
Also, criminals often deceive people by sending phishing emails and messages that supposedly come from legitimate companies, such as banks, online stores, etc. In these cases, the users themselves provide their personal information, such as credentials, to seemingly legitimate pages.
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Types of identity theft
There are various types of identity theft that are related to the kind of data thieves steal and the reason why they steal them:
Financial identity theft
The criminal gains illegal access to your data and uses it for financial gain. For example, a fraudster might apply for a new credit card or loan, open a bank account , or use your debit card to make an unauthorized purchase.
Medical identity theft
An unauthorized person may use your information to obtain healthcare services or to obtain potential compensation for accidents, etc.
In some cases, this can lead to confusion of the health records of the perpetrator and the victim, leading to misdiagnosis or inadequate treatment.
Account takeover fraud
The criminal steals information and gains access to bank accounts or social media accounts.
Once they have control of the account, the fraudster can make unauthorized transactions, such as withdrawing money, opening a credit card, or managing social media accounts.
It could also gather more information to gain access to other accounts.
Tax identity theft
This type of theft occurs when someone uses your information to file a tax return and collect refunds.
Most people realize they are victims of this scam when the relevant authority notifies them that more than one tax return has been filed.
Synthetic identity theft
In Synthetic identity theft, criminals combine real and fake information to create an entirely new identity. For example, they use someone's real Social Security number but combine it with a fake name, date of birth, and address.
Also, many times fraudsters combine information from many different victims to create a new identity.
Child identity theft
Children are also at risk of identity theft. Fraudsters may take a child's information from school or medical records and use it to obtain a credit card or claim government benefits.
Criminal identity theft
This type refers to the case where a person provides personal information to someone unrelated, instead of giving their own to law enforcement authorities, when questioned or arrested.
This is a rarer circumstance, but it can lead to an arrest warrant for an innocent person or to the creation of a criminal record.
See also: Google: Hackers target YouTubers with cookie theft malware
Identity Theft: How to prevent identity theft?
Preventing identity theft is quite difficult, given that so much personal information is stored and shared digitally.
Once you share your information with a company or a government agency, it is their responsibility to protect it from cybercriminals.
Complete prevention is impossible, but there are some steps that users and organizations can take to reduce the risk:
Ασφαλίστε έγγραφα με ευαίσθητα δεδομένα
Καλό είναι να μην έχετε μαζί σας έγγραφα με προσωπικά στοιχεία, όπως πιστοποιητικό γέννησης ή διαβατήριο, καθώς θα μπορούσε κάποιος να σας τα κλέψει. Αν χρειάζεται να τα έχετε μαζί σας, φροντίστε ώστε να βρίσκονται πάντα υπό επίβλεψη.
Also, when you are at home, store the documents in a safe deposit box or another secure place.
If the documents are stored digitally, protect your systems (see more below).
Do not share sensitive information unless it is absolutely necessary
Do not share your social security number, bank card details, and other sensitive information via phone calls, messages, emails, or social media.
If you receive a phone call or email from a bank or other financial institution, make sure it's not a scam before giving out any information. For example, if you receive an email from your bank, check for signs of fraud, such as a different name, typos or grammatical errors, strange attachments, and more.
Ideally, call the bank to make sure the email was indeed sent by its staff.
Additionally, do not open links contained in emails. Open the page you are interested in in your browser.
Finally, consider that legitimate services never ask for your personal information through emails and messages.
Παρακολούθηση λογαριασμών
Check your bank statements for any suspicious activity. If you notice anything unusual, contact your bank or credit card company immediately.
Use strong passwords and password managers
Use strong passwords to protect your accounts. Strong passwords are usually long and include a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.
It is also vital that you do not use the same passwords on different accounts, so that if someone gains access to one account, they cannot compromise the others.
To make the process of protecting accounts with different passwords easier, use a password manager.
Enable two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication provides additional security, since in addition to the regular code, it requires a second one, which is different each time and you receive it via email, call, message, or special application.
If someone tries to gain access to your account, they will not be able to do so without this second unique code.
Install antivirus software
Identity thieves may try to breach your Wi-Fi network, computer, or smartphone.
Antivirus software can detect and remove malware designed to steal data.
This software also scans email attachments, applications, and other files for potential viruses.
Consider using a virtual private network (VPN)
Public Wi‑Fi networks can be dangerous, as they generally offer little protection and hackers could breach your online activity.
A VPN can protect sensitive information while you're connected to public wifi. When you connect to a VPN, the software encrypts and protects your device's online activity.
