kamran sharief According to recent reports, nearly 9 million US citizens became victims of identity theft in the past year. That’s indeed a pretty huge number.
Imagine this, you had a deadline to make an important payment but suddenly found yourself locked out of your own account. Or someone used your login credentials and stole all your hard-earned money? Felt a chill? That’s what we meant by identity theft.
In simple words, it is a type of crime in which burglars steal the personal and financial information of their victims and misuse them. For example, they might raid into your bank account or apply for a credit card or loan with your personal details, or they might simply sell your information to someone in exchange for money.
So, how can you stay one step ahead of those nasty thieves out there waiting to steal everything from you? Well, the answer to this question is pretty simple. You need to keep your login credentials safe and secure from prying eyes. Yes, that’s right; it’s time to take action to safeguard the first line of your online defense, your passwords.
But how? Don’t worry! We’ve got you. Here are some surefire tips to make sure that your passwords and your identity theft aren’t easy pickings.
Table of Contents
· Opt for multi-factor authentication
Technically speaking, multi-factor authentication is a sort of electronic authentication method that enables the user to verify their identity by two or more forms before accessing a particular website or an application.
This means that there is an additional step before you enter the password to authenticate your identity. For example, suppose you want to login into a certain account, then you might want to put in the OTP sent on your registered phone number or email to verify it’s you. It might take a bit longer to get started, but with the help of these unique codes, it would be very difficult for someone to get access to your account.
· Consider using password managers.
With the help of password managers, users can easily keep track of all their login credentials. This option will help you boost the safety of your login credentials and save time by automatically filling them wherever you need them. In fact, it will also help in synchronizing your credentials across different devices. And that can be a real-life savior sometimes.
For instance, suppose you are a Mac owner, then you need to know that managing the passwords can be a bit tricky. But there’s a solution to it. You can learn about how to use sign in with apple, and everything else will be easy. According to the technical experts, it is one of the significant steps towards having better and concrete safety in the whole wide world of unauthorized apps and websites.
Pro Tip: Don’t fall prey to phishing.
This is the most important part when it comes to internet security. You need to access your emails and other online websites very carefully, especially the ones that come with attachments. Do not click on suspicious links and attachments, as they are designed to steal your information from your PC or smartphone.
Final Words
Leaving your passwords unprotected is just a digital equivalent of putting out a key for the burglars and giving them an open invitation to access your personal stuff. So, use the tips mentioned above and keep your passwords secured like a pro.