Tips To Protect Your Financial Identity And Improve Your Online Security

How to protect your identity from fraud

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world. Veda Advantage estimates that more than 4 million Australians have been affected by the theft of financial identity and/or personal identity. With such high rate of increase in such crimes, it’s important to know how to keep your identity safe.

If you are doing any banking or shopping on the Internet then there are a few important things you should know about online security. This article explains what you should look for to avoid giving out personal details to suspicious sites.

One of the crimes that is growing fastest in the world is financial identity theft, and that means that online security is more important now than ever. In recent years fraud has become more widespread, sophisticated and organized, and as shopping increases on the Internet, more people are giving out their personal details. This can cause a problem unless you are armed with the knowledge to protect yourself from theft and fraud.

Online security tips

Here are some tips you can use when you need the Internet to send personal details.

1. Make sure that your security software is up to date. You should have a firewall, anti-spam, anti-spyware and antivirus programs installed on your computer to keep it from being accessed by unwanted intruders. Quite often malicious programs can be installed on your computer without your knowledge, and they can be carried in an e-mail. Always make sure that you perform regular scans with these programs and check for updates periodically.
2. Use automatic updates for your virus protection software so that you are always up-to-date with your online security.
3. Never publish information that is personal on sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter such as your home address, details about your bank account or your date of birth. Also, make sure that only people you trust can access your profile.
4. Use a filtering product for spam to block viruses or fake e-mails. Always be sure that you never open an attachment from somebody that you don’t know.
5. When you are applying for a job online don’t give out any personal information that is confidential such as your TFN. This can be supplied to your employer once you have started working.
6. Report thefts immediately. If you have been the victim of a theft, it’s important to report this immediately to your local police branch and bank. This ensures that your loss is on record and nobody can use any stolen cards. This way you can protect your financial identity and keep your identity safe.
7. Look for missing mail. If you live in a building with a communal hall or mailboxes which can easily be accessed by outsiders, be aware of any stolen mail. Many fraudsters try to steal mail such as credit card bills and other bills which contain information about your financial identity. Such information is valued by fraudsters, so if you find that your mail is missing, you should report such anomalies.
8. Be careful when social networking. It is tempting to provide a lot of information on Internet networking sites, but fraudsters can use such information about your personal identity, so do not share details such as your date of birth, children’s names, etc.
9. Check your statements. Always examine your bank statements for any suspicious activities or any charges you did not make, and report them immediately.
10. Take care of important documents. Do not carry around personal identity documents such as passports, etc., unless you will need them, and make sure you always store them safely.
11. Check your credit report. By checking your credit report you will be aware of any unauthorized borrowing or lending that was done from your account.
12. Make sure you are registered at your address. Many companies check that you live where you say you do. If you move, make sure you de-register your old address and register your new one. If you do not do this, criminals can register you at a different address for their purposes.
13. Shred confidential documents. Make sure you shred confidential documents such as income or credit card statements so that nobody can access them from the bin.
14. Be careful of “phishing” scams. Be careful of fraudsters pretending to be your bank or financial institution. Such people can ask for personal information as well as PIN numbers and passwords. These kinds of criminals often use the phone or email to request information. Always call your bank to verify that they are seeking such information before you provide it.

How to recognize fraud and tax scams

If you ever receive emails that claim they are coming from the Tax Office, you should be very suspicious of them. Here are a few things you should look for to avoid falling for a scam.

1. To make sure that you are logging into the official website of the Tax Office, you should visit www.ato.gov.au where you will be asked to sign in using your digital certificate before entering the website itself. If you think you are at the official site, but you are not asked for your certificate, then you will know that this site is fake.
2. Always keep your passwords and tax file number secure One of the best ways to do this is to change your passwords every now and again. Use one that has a combination of letters, numbers, characters and punctuations for extra online security. Don’t reply to any emails that ask for your password or any other classified information.
3. Any emails that offer a tax refund if you enter your personal information should be reported. An email that asks for extra information before any refund is released is a fake email and must be ignored.

If you know what to look for it is easy to spot fake websites and emails to keep your online security at the highest level it can be. Use the guide above to keep yourself protected as you work on the Internet.

Protect yourself from loss, theft and identity crime

Worried about identity thieves? Secure Sentinel provides priceless protection through their SecureIdentity to easily identify suspicious activities involving your identity.

Features of Secure Identity – with one single call you can:

• Cancel any affected credit cards or other financial cards (including cover from the time they were lost to the time you notified them, until the time they notify your banks etc.
• Arrange replacement cards
• Place a temporary block on your mobile phone that is registered with Secure Identity
• Help you with item details for a police claim or insurance claim
• If you are eligible, you can even receive a cash advance fo $1,000 AUD in the case of an emergency
• Organise the safe return of any lost or stolen registered items that were recovered
• Give you help and advice to get through the situation as smoothly as possible with the least amount of stress.

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