Post by coolbyrne on Aug 26, 2008 14:11:50 GMT -5
Just a few things that seem like common sense, but apparently are not to a lot of people.
To start, identity theft is not a 20th century phenomenon- people have been stealing people's identities for ages. It's just much, much easier these days with the technologies that we have.
Second, there's a difference between identity theft and identity impersonation. Identity theft is the acquisition by someone of your government and credit information (social security number, bank information, credit card information, passport, etc.) in order to gain a false financial profile/identity. This is incredibly serious, as it can lead to serious complications for the victim. Imagine losing control of your legal identity- for all intents and purposes, you no longer exist, and regaining that identity (convincing the gov't who you are, convincing the credit agency you didn't do these things) is a long and incredibly difficult road.
Identity impersonation is an extension of the lure internet anonymity gives you. Trolls do what they do in order to get some kind of virtual thrill that comes from being able to "be" someone they are most likely not in "real" life. Identity impersonators do the same. They will never be a celebrity or a prince, so they pretend to be one on the internet. For many impersonators, that becomes their "real" life. It's no less scary than someone stealing your financial identity, but it is less harmful to you in the long run. Annoying and scary to think someone has done this? Yes. Fixable? Absolutely.
So how to prevent either one of these things happening, and how to fix it?
Identity theft
Above all, don't lose your head about things.
A little bit of time and a little bit of common sense is your best defence.
Identity impersonation
Above all, this is not the end of the world! Annoying, perhaps. Disturbing? Definitely. But quite easily remedied or avoided.
And if you click onto a profile that looks like your favourite actor/musician/celebrity, unless it has official status, chances are, it's not who you think it is! We've had several people comment on our Mandana Jones MySpace, thinking we were her. We always correct the assumption, but a quick look at our disclaimer would have prevented the misunderstanding in the first place. Do some research, ask some questions, and you'll most likely discover the truth.
To start, identity theft is not a 20th century phenomenon- people have been stealing people's identities for ages. It's just much, much easier these days with the technologies that we have.
Second, there's a difference between identity theft and identity impersonation. Identity theft is the acquisition by someone of your government and credit information (social security number, bank information, credit card information, passport, etc.) in order to gain a false financial profile/identity. This is incredibly serious, as it can lead to serious complications for the victim. Imagine losing control of your legal identity- for all intents and purposes, you no longer exist, and regaining that identity (convincing the gov't who you are, convincing the credit agency you didn't do these things) is a long and incredibly difficult road.
Identity impersonation is an extension of the lure internet anonymity gives you. Trolls do what they do in order to get some kind of virtual thrill that comes from being able to "be" someone they are most likely not in "real" life. Identity impersonators do the same. They will never be a celebrity or a prince, so they pretend to be one on the internet. For many impersonators, that becomes their "real" life. It's no less scary than someone stealing your financial identity, but it is less harmful to you in the long run. Annoying and scary to think someone has done this? Yes. Fixable? Absolutely.
So how to prevent either one of these things happening, and how to fix it?
Identity theft
- never give out personal information of any kind to someone you don't know. If someone phoned you and asked you for your credit card #, would you do it? So why do it over the internet?
- if you use your credit card to purchase something from a trusted site, when the transaction is completed, close the window entirely
- if you cannot recognize the sender of an email, do not click on the link!
- if you think you might have signed up for something (ie. cnn alert), hover over the link first and look at the url in the bottom left corner
- PayPal and eBay will never, ever ask you for your credit card information in an email!
- make sure to keep your computer anti-virus/firewall security updated
- on websites where you are entering personal information, be sure that your password isn't something to do with your personal information! ie. not your phone number, date of birth, address, favourite thing, etc., or, god forbid "password"!
Above all, don't lose your head about things.
A little bit of time and a little bit of common sense is your best defence.Identity impersonation
- keep your friends and family updated on your social activity online. If you have Facebook or MySpace, let them know!
- understand how to keep your personal entries and profile private. Every social network offers this choice.
- don't post personal/private photos on an open network. This goes with the point above- keep personal/private things exactly that! And ask your friends to do the same.
Above all, this is not the end of the world! Annoying, perhaps. Disturbing? Definitely. But quite easily remedied or avoided.
And if you click onto a profile that looks like your favourite actor/musician/celebrity, unless it has official status, chances are, it's not who you think it is! We've had several people comment on our Mandana Jones MySpace, thinking we were her. We always correct the assumption, but a quick look at our disclaimer would have prevented the misunderstanding in the first place. Do some research, ask some questions, and you'll most likely discover the truth.