In today’s modern world, people use every resource to make their hectic lifestyles a little easier. The internet became a standard tool to reach to people through remote locations. But traveling to the web site and getting the services of an expert is no longer a luxury. It is becoming a monthly routine for many people.
Experts in handling of sensitive information and the internet have become a necessity. In other words, people no longer have the luxury of taking a trip to a friend’s house after work. They can reach all the information they need instantly from anywhere in the world. Mobile phones are the best example of this. But before we go ahead and check out some of the services that can make your life a complete nightmare, let us first go over some of the safety tips to prevent yourself from becoming a victim.
When you have the Feeling That Your Life Is In Danger… Beware
How real is this feeling? Is it just a feeling or real danger? There are people who pretend to be others to trick you. They might call you pretending to be your friend and then when you go to give your number to them, they end up taking someone else’s account. Or they might call you from someone else’s phone. You probably wouldn’t want to expose your personal info like full date of birth and complete details of your spouse’s income.
They got your account info through a background check or assessment
Some con artists use a web based email account to mail out threats. They may use parameters like your name and the name of your child. You might surprise yourself when you see your name pop up as the sender without you having to click on the link.
It’s hard to know whether or not the email is a scam. There are a few red flags that will alert you. One of the most common is a message that says it is from a certain bank or a certain company. Banks and companies invest in special services to assess the risks involved with giving out your info. They will never send you an email in which they ask you to resubmit your info. They will message you and ask you to resubmit your info but will let you know it is declined.
It’s a big attack
With the internet the word is out and it takes seconds to be a victim. Companies and people steal credit card numbers, bank account information, and other personal info. Once they have this info they can do a lot of damage. Identity theft is rampant and the surprising statistics are only a few.
When you receive your bank statement you will be shocked. You will see transactions that you never made. Then they will read you the note that they sent you and the fact that you emptied your wallet is only proof of how much money they have taken from you.
The red flags are there, but how do you know which bank is really taking the money? The simple answer is you can’t. There is no way to cross check all the transactions made. There are no confidence ratings given for any of the banks. There are no controls over who can access your account and how they can steal your money.
Multi-national organizations have different ways of stealing information. Every bank and company will do different things. But there is a common method that is used. A person can only work with what they have. That is why you need to check the red flags to be sure that your bank is sending you correct information.
Determine who has access
When you first get a checkbook, do you see any unusual entries? If so, check them out. How far up the checked list do you go? Does anyone have access to this account other than you?
This can be part of a larger problem. If you notice any discrepancies, you will probably be sent some form of reality check. The best thing you can do is to call and talk to an actual person before downloading any information.
Be smart
There is only one rule if you cannot remember all of the other rules. All online accounts are the same. That means that if you put in your account number one million times, it means that you have used it one million times. There is no way that you are going to remembered all of the different number entries that you did make.
If you have been using your credit card for online purchases and you have never had a problem, then you are probably safe. The problem comes when you make a purchase with your debit card and you don’t see the minimum purchase that is required to get the money back. Before you go ballistic, think about this. This is probably the likelihood that it happens if you made a purchase online.
Make checksum adjustments
If you are making checksum payments online, you are probably faced with an error every now and then. It comes even with PayPal. The checksum for PayPal is -25%.
