Victims of this form of identity theft often see compromised debit accounts and malicious ATM activity, according to ABS-CBN News. Knowing what to look for in order to prevent these online scams can safeguard users against having to perform frustrating damage control later on.
CSO reported that employer-facing anti-phishing training is able to prevent some identity theft, but a general lack of awareness about hacking strategies makes employees and customers prime candidates for attack, as they are "soft targets."
Things to look for
Online data storage, whether in the cloud or on a mobile device, is not innately secure and users should consider what their first lines of defense are, reported ABS-CBN News. Password security is crucial in preventing phishing attacks because the assailants will have a much harder time accessing personal information if they cannot easily open a public-sourced document.Additionally, the news provider recommended utilizing upper and lowercase letters and numbers to improve password strength.
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| Preventing Phishing with Awareness |
Being aware of the kinds of deceptive techniques that phishers use will also help prevent a breach. Messages that come from providers that house private data, such as a trusted bank, generally do not request information verification requests via email or text message.
Furthermore, opening attachments and clicking unfamiliar links sent by seemingly legitimate businesses is a decision that can lead to serious malware infections, according to the news provider.
CSO cautioned that phishing is not just an online hazard. Any personal data stored in receipts or in paper documents, such as mail or bank statements, should be shredded in order to prevent this form of identity theft - not doing so can lead to more serious forms of cyber attack.
Preparing for phishing can seem daunting, but by being aware of hacking techniques, users can safeguard themselves. Utilizing password management software and knowing what to look for in online scams should become priorities for anyone who connects to the web.
Faizan Ahmad About the Author:
This article is posted by Faizan who is the Author and Founder of TechSenser. He is a Professional Blogger from India and a passionate writer about Technology, Gadgets, How-to-Guides, etc. You can connect him on Google+.
