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Computers and consumers: understanding and avoiding identity theft


The Internet has provided more than a billion people around the world with a way to instantly find information. The number of threats to a consumer's security increases as the consumer connects with more computers, companies, and people online. The Federal Trade Commission ( "FTC "), the nation's consumer protection agency, says all Internet users must understand the importance of online security and should take steps to protect themselves.

Why the need for security and how to protect yourself?

The computer: Part of a computer's sophistication lies in its ability to connect with other computers over the Internet to provide information. When connected to other computers, it opens up for the transmission of information, which can create a vulnerability for the computer. Hackers can connect to the computer, search for open ports, and access unauthorized information about the computer user.

Most computers have an intrusion detection system ( "IDS ") that monitors the computer to detect suspicious activities. When suspicious activity is detected, the IDS sends an alert that an intrusion has occurred.

A IDS alone will not protect your computer from inbound hackers and viruses. Computer users must also protect themselves with firewalls, which create a barrier between hackers and the computer and help prevent access to unauthorized information.

The computer User: The computer user can also accidentally open doors, which will cause a security breach, such as when the user is using the Internet to make purchases. Although the Internet has facilitated purchases, the number of cases of identity theft has also increased. A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice reports that more than 9 million households suffered some sort of identity theft. Consumers also open up to more junk mail called SPAM when they buy online. Fortunately, there are ways to minimize the risk when buying online.

Be careful when posting your personal email address. Consumers who use the Internet increase their chances of receiving spam email each time they provide their email address to make a purchase. As mentioned above, hackers can access consumer information by scanning non-secure ports. Consumers can help protect themselves by providing only the necessary information when making the purchase. There are companies designed to help protect consumers from e-commerce identity theft and SPAM.

By providing payment information, consumers should always make sure the site is secure. An easy way to determine if a site is safe is to look at the Web address bar at the top of the screen. The HTTP, which precedes the address, must be changed to HTTPS when it is logged to a shopping site. The  "s " indicates that the consumer is buying from a secure page.

Finally, a consumer should avoid the use of ATM/debit cards to make purchases, as failure to comply with this information could result in unauthorized access to consumer bank account information. Use a credit card instead. Most credit card companies will work on behalf of your customer, in case a hacker steals your credit card information. In many cases, the consumer will only be responsible for $50 of the transactions.

When a consumer purchases wisely on the Internet and acts in conjunction with the Internet's private security sites and the FTC, the chances of being one of the nine million households affected by identity theft will be reduced.

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