Protect Yourself on the Net. Identity Theft is a Growing Concern – But a Preventable Threat When Users Adhere to Some Easy-to-Follow Guidelines.

72% of UK citizens believe they are at greater risk from identity theft as a result of the financial crisis. These concerning figures come from the latest Unisys Security Index, a bi-annual global study into consumer security concerns. The problem of identity theft is being intensified by the speed and availability of information on the Internet, and as we need to remember more usernames and passwords to access various accounts, we are becoming increasingly less careful when choosing our user name/password combinations.

Identity thieves are primarily after one thing, your passwords. Once the culprits collect your passwords, they gain access to your accounts, steal your identity and use the information for personal benefit.

“Phishing” and “password hacking” are two popular identity theft practices. Phishing is a widespread form of Internet piracy that “fishes” for your personal financial information – account numbers, Social Security number, passwords, etc. Thieves use this confidential information to run up bills on your credit or debit cards, take out loans or even obtain a driver’s license in your name.

Typically, a phishing e-mail appears to come from a reputable company that you recognise and may do business with, such as your bank, PayPal or E-Bay. The e-mail will warn you of a problem that requires you to take immediate action to update or confirm your personal account information. The e-mail will instruct you to follow a link to the institution’s web site. The web site will actually be phony, but will look like the real thing. If you provide personal financial information, you may become a victim of identity theft.