Top Identity theft protection tips to follow in 2023

Identity theft is an appalling contemporary crime, where cybercriminals aren’t only satisfied by wiping out your bank account but also imitate your whole online identity to conduct crimes under your name. 

The identity thieves may leave you in debt or get you behind bars. A survey conducted by FTC, aka Federal Trade Commission, stated that individuals in 2021 filed countless reports regarding ID theft than other crimes. 

Hackers these days use more impeccable strategies to victimize ordinary men, and the surge in ID theft is evidence of how intended attacks can beget acute damage to an individual and the companies they’re associated with. 

So, how do you stop being a victim of ID theft? These top 8 identity theft protection tips will help you remain ahead of the pack who intend to pilfer everything. Let’s get started!

1. Shop online carefully 

In this digital world, where customers remain online scouring for their desired product from an ecommerce site at a discounted rate, they must not be oblivious to look into a “locked” sign before the website name. 

It implies a secure connection, which is effortless to ascertain. All you need to do is sneak peek at the URL; if it contains http instead of https, run away!

Confidential login credentials will easily be compromised if the connection isn’t encrypted. You can spot an authentic website in several ways, and one of the best ways to do so is by looking for typos in the website’s address.

2. Adhere to reliable apps

You must use premium software, which should be signed with a Code Signing certificate. You can easily find low budget or cheap Code Signing certificate on the web. If not, you may end up installing a spiteful replica, which was amended purposefully to tinker with your interactions. 

An ambushed app may provide remote cybercriminals with backdoor access to your desktop or mobile device. Therefore, visiting the official software marketplaces is the best thing without being trapped by the duped alternatives. 

For example, Apple possesses stringent controls for every app in its App Store. While attempting to launch a dubious and unsigned app on the Mac, you will receive a warning message stating that this app may corrupt your PC.

3. Identity theft protection or surveillance

You must always be on your toes to surveil PII and take action right off the bat to reduce the extent of damage. But sustaining the same degree of attention as time proceeds could be cumbersome. 

A top-notch identity theft protection service provides users with round-the-clock and comprehensive protection so that they can go ahead with their lives. 

A reliable identity theft protection service can surveil bank accounts, SSNs, and credit cards throughout the dark and surface web to beware of abnormalities and notify you instantly. 

It will also assist you in recovering your identity assets, providing insurance, and extending coverage to your family. Simply put, it will be cumbersome to guard against PII from surging strategies of cybercriminals without a professional tool.

4. Turn on 2FA on accounts and devices

2017’s Data Breach Investigations Report from Verizon demonstrated that 81% of hacking-oriented infringements begin with a compromised or robbed password. 

2FA provides an additional layer of password security, which is based on your knowledge of a password or PIN, ownership of a PC or smartphone, and biometric identification, such as voiceprint or fingerprint. 2FA needs more than one of these identification strategies to unlock your device or account.

Therefore, a cybercriminal can’t access your account without any of the above identifiers if your password gets compromised. 

5. Look out for phishing

Phishing is an online deception technique where hackers entice customers to visit an imitated login page and submit their credentials. Such fraud often starts with a counterfeited email lurking as a text from a credible service provider asking you to upgrade your account details. 

But you should never hit those dubious links obtained via messengers or emails, mainly if the email’s sender claims to be a government body, store, or bank personnel.    

6. Investigate your account once in a while

Monitor every transaction regarding credit card accounts or banks every month. If you see any modifications and purchases you still need to proceed with, contact the bank and sort things out immediately with them. 

Moreover, consider ordering a complimentary credit report once a year and look for the signs of deception, for example, debts you might be heedless of!

7. Use robust passwords and MFA

Multi-factor authentication and robust passwords are two leading safety measures that can shield against every false attempt to ID theft. In case you would like to utilize robust passwords, this is how it must look in 2023 and beyond. These are the best ways to use strong passwords in 2023:

• Passwords must be 14 characters long, at least.
• It should contain an intricate arrangement of capital and lower-case characters, symbols, and numbers.
• Different passwords for different accounts, and keep them unique.
• It is controlled by a password management tool with encoded backups.

Robust passwords can’t provide optimal safety, and you must activate MFA to get an extra security layer in case devices are vulnerable. 

8. Encrypt your data

Encryption is one of the most significant defense mechanisms against online hacking and identity theft. You must ensure the encryption model is updated while using cloud storage, VPN, and online backup tools. AE-256-bit encryption is highly recommended as it’s challenging to intrude. 

Encoding your confidential data is particularly beneficial if someone pilfers your device. Even though they have seized your device, they can’t harm your identity due to the non-accessibility of data. It’s possible to encode everything you have locally stored and online. 

Conclusion

We hope this helps you feel more at ease about maintaining your security on the web. You can never be too vigilant when surfing the web; keep in mind that these suggestions are all reasonable. Identity thieves keep developing novel schemes, but if you are cautious, you will be okay.
Which techniques and technologies have most benefited you in enhancing your digital privacy? Are there any further identity theft protection techniques that should be considered but weren’t covered here? Please share your thoughts in the section beneath if there are any.