Identity Theft 911 report offers ways to safeguard online identity

Identity Theft 911, America’s leading identity theft resolution and education services provider protecting over 30 million people, has released a new report “The Digital You: Securing Your Identity in the Cyberworld,” created to educate users about the dangers of identity theft as well as offer tips on how to protect one’s online identity. Besides, it includes insights from a number of privacy and security experts, and explores real-life cases of people who saw their identity compromised via social media.

The report shows that social media users need to exhibit caution and be careful when posting personal information. As social media use continues to grow, the threat of identity theft rises along with it. It concludes that consumer awareness is one key to helping to prevent the crime. Readers will be able to spot common scams and will be able to identify the red flags that accompany them.

In addition, Identity Theft 911 offers the following tips from Facebook for safeguarding one’s online identity:
• Use an up-to-date browser that features an anti-phishing blacklist. Examples include Internet Explorer 8 or Firefox 3.0.10;
• Use unique log-ins and passwords for each of the Web sites you access;
• Check to see that you’re logging in from a legitimate Facebook page with the facebook.com domain;
• Be cautious with any message, post or link you find on Facebook that looks suspicious or requires an additional log-in;
• If you’ve had a security issue with your account, reset all accounts (not just Facebook) that use the same credentials (log-in passwords). If a user is compromised on Facebook and has the same log-in and password for their Gmail account, the attacker may be able to intercept the Facebook password reset through Gmail and compromise the account again.