In the digital age, we all need to take identity protection seriously. Bad actors can wreak havoc with your financial and private lives with the correct personal details.
Thankfully, there's a reliable way to keep yourself safe online. By securing high-quality antivirus software, you can ensure you can get the most out of the internet without any risks.
How Antivirus Software Can Protect Your Identity
Identity theft can occur in a variety of ways. In the event of a data breach, the safety of your details is entirely in the hands of the website storing them. However, you can take an active stance against many other situations using antivirus software.
Criminals use malware to gather personal data without the victim ever realising it. The internet is flooded with harmful software, including on trustworthy websites and social media platforms. If you accidentally trigger a malware download, your antivirus software will move in to stop it in its tracks.
Another popular way to obtain a person's sensitive information is via a phishing link. These are websites that encourage users to enter their details themselves. They achieve this by posing as a website that the user already knows and trusts.
Any suspicious links that arrive via email can be detected and deleted by good antivirus software. It would help if you always exercise caution when opening external links, but it's good to know you have an anti-malware program working in the background to keep you safe.
How ESET ID Theft Protection Works: A 3-Step Process
Teaming up with ESET to keep your identity secure could not be a more straightforward process. Lock down your details and protect yourself against cyber threats by partnering with us today.
Tailored set-up
The first part of our service is helping you decide the level of malware protection you require. This will depend on several factors, including your devices and the security ratings of the internet networks you use.
Adequate, reliable malware protection
Once you've selected your plan, you can download and implement your protection immediately. The software will efficiently scan your devices for existing security breaches and will set up barriers to prevent any more in the future.
Identity secured
By securing malware protection, you'll be massively improving the security of your identity. Not only will you be able to engage in identity monitoring, but harmful downloads and phishing links will be a thing of the past with ESET by your side.
Taking Personal Steps To Protect Your Identity
Investing in high-quality, reliable antivirus software is one of the best ways to secure your data. You can take your safety to the next level by developing solid security-related habits.
Avoid oversharing on social media
These days, social media is one of the prime locations for identity theft. Most people will naturally want to share some of their details on their profile to link up with friends, but it's essential not to take this too far.
The best action with social media is to set your accounts to private mode. This will prevent anyone from the public from being able to access your profile. Even then, it would help if you aimed to limit the details your confirmed followers can see.
Use private networks
Public wi-fi networks are weak points in the internet chain that identity thieves target. To provide accessible internet access, the providers have to give up some key security features.
You should avoid discussing or entering personal data when connected to an open network. If you need public internet, the next best thing is a VPN. A VPN gives your data a private tunnel to travel through the web, much less porous than basic wi-fi.
Use strong passwords
You've heard this before, but using strong passwords to protect your data is still an extremely effective security measure. Getting into a personal account is a dream situation for an identity thief, so stopping them at the first hurdle is very important.
Try to use a different strong password for each of your accounts. It might be more annoying than using the same simple word for everything, but it improves your security.
Consider a digital wallet
Since most identity thieves have financial motives, trying to keep your money as secure as possible makes sense. One way to do this is by using a digital wallet. This effectively allows you to pay for goods and services without sharing your personal banking information with the retailer.
Of course, if you decide to get a digital wallet, you must ensure it's a trustworthy provider. You will have to pay into your wallet using your bank account, which will only be shared with the provider. Using a wallet reduces the number of situations where your data gets exposed.
If you have an Apple device, then you can use Apple Pay in the same way. This system doesn't pay for things with your card directly - Apple makes the payment for you and then charges your card separately.
FAQs
What is identity theft exactly?
Identity theft is when someone uses another's details to commit fraud and other crimes. Having your identity stolen can have profound implications, so it's essential to put measures in place to reduce the chance of it happening.
The dawn of the internet age has drastically increased the amount of identity theft. Most people have personal information available to the public via their social media accounts.
That said, protecting yourself against identity theft doesn't mean you must completely hide your identity online. Instead, it's more about keeping your most crucial information away from the public and having barriers against malware.
What is the most common type of identity theft?
The most common motivation behind the identity theft is purely financial. With the correct personal documents, anyone can access your bank accounts and thus your money. There are many different types of financial identity fraud, such as Account Takeover and Credit File fraud.
Identity theft is not where someone takes your identity to "become" you for its sake. Aside from financial reasons, a criminal may steal an identity to get a driving licence, a valid passport number or even citizenship documents.
How do I know when my identity has been stolen?
There are a few indicators to look out for if you suspect you've been the victim of identity theft. The most obvious is your credit card statement charges that you didn't make. It's essential to check your accounts because of this regularly.
Another giveaway is when you stop receiving bills in the post that you usually would. This can indicate that your billing address has been changed to another location. Criminals alter billing addresses to their own so they can apply for new accounts under your name.
If you notice that a new credit card has been taken out under your name, this nearly always indicates identity theft. If this happens, you should contact your bank immediately to get the card shut down. If you act quickly, most credit card providers can put measures in place to prevent someone from spending your money or permanently damaging your credit report.
How long does it take to recover identity?
Recovering a lost identity can be a complex process. In some cases, it can take months or even years to regain control of your identity fully. This is why preventing identity theft is the best approach.
No measures are going to 100% guarantee that your identity won't be compromised, but good antivirus software can act as adequate identity theft insurance.
Who are the most at risk of identity theft?
You might think that identity thieves target only people with lots of money, but this couldn't be further from the truth. As we've explained, identity theft isn't just about the funds in your account. Things like passport numbers have immense black-market value and are highly desirable.
In truth, criminals target those who they believe are easy targets. This is why older adults without much digital experience are often victims of online scams.