Today, Cyber crime is a grim reality of the modern computer age. It is probable that bank robbers sprouted up shortly after the invention of the railroad. Some people take advantage of new innovations in different way. So, if cyber crime is here to stay, how do we make sure we do not become victims?
Know Your Site
One of the most famous cybercrimes came about because the system of a company that handled the email marketing for some major retailers was hacked. The marketing firm’s database did not contain any credit card information, but it did contain customer names and email addresses, and of course the names of the stores those customers did business with.
It was therefore very easy for the hackers, or the people who bought the information from them, to contact customers in the guise of these popular stores. A loyal customer of any of these stores would not normally have a problem with an email correspondence from them. The problem was that the email would send them to a phony site, where the customer would voluntarily enter their credit card information, thinking they were on the site of their trusted favorite store.
Do not go to a website from a link within an email. If you want to visit your favorite online store, enter the site address yourself.
Use a Separate Card for Online Purchases
The data center of a major electronics company was also recently breached, and this time millions of customer records, including credit card numbers, were extracted. Hundreds of thousands of these numbers were auctioned off within a few days of the hacking. Cyber crooks know they have to work fast. Each of the sold numbers was involved in a fraud attempt. In this case, the victims did nothing that helped the criminals, but they could have taken these steps, which you should, too.
Sign-up for a credit card that you devote only to your online shopping. Specifically request that the limit be kept low. If you learn about any breach, you can quickly and easily cancel the card and your risk will be very low, just the amount of the credit line.
Be Picky
Breaches such as these occur all the time and often go unnoticed. The cyber crook makes his few thousands of dollars, the victim cancels her card and complains to the credit card company, and everything goes back to normal.
The fewer places your personal information and credit card information is on record, the fewer the chances you will be a victim. Needless to say, only trust what you know to be legitimate sites of companies you are familiar with. If you do need to order some unusual, esoteric item, use a mediator company, such as paypal to make your payment. They can then charge your credit card or bank account.
With the aid of the best background check service online, it will prevent you from being a victim of cyber crimes. Background identity checks will help safeguard information and you will remain protected from becoming a casualty of the crime of the new millennium. As they say, it is better to be safe than sorry.
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WYSIWYG! I'm a simple person trying to live the simplest life possible - it seems to be the most difficult thing to achieve! I'm an internet enthusiast and I've been a webmaster since early 2007. I like: blogging, developing sites using open source software, social media, computer games, '80s music, comedy & horror, animals, crunching on M&Ms peanut and Smarties!
