Page 18 - 11Cyber

Don’t Let Your Identity be Compromised!

By Jeff Wilkinson

President Sun City Summerlin Computer Club

We should all be cautious answering those seemingly
innocuous questions posted on social media sites such as
“What Year Did You Graduate High School,” or “What
City were you Born in,” “Can you remember your child-
hood phone number?” or “Who was your first-grade
teacher?” and on and
on. These interesting
questions appear harm-
less and appealing as
you develop friendships
and reminisce with old
and new friends on so- of us have never read the small print terms of service pro-
cial media, but beware! vided by the host. As you traverse the various pages, fo-
Many of these answers rums, postings, etc., data mining creates a profile of your
can be used to answer or reveal security question an- behavior, likes, and dislikes. This information is often mon-
swers you chose when you set up accounts at your bank, etized by the host sites you visit, meaning sold to third par-
utility company, etc. For example, when you forget your ties. Facebook collects data from all devices you have in-
password, as happens all too often, you will be asked to stalled their app on. The language used and time zone can
answer security questions from when you initially set up include your device location, data provider, or internet
your account, in most cases some time ago! In addition, service provider. Data on sites you like or visit via a link on
answers to these types of questions posted on social me- Facebook is also collected.
dia or quizzes can be used to build a profile on you with What can the consumer do to protect themselves?
the information needed to open a new account!
• Keep your software up to date
Keeping your identity secure on social media is essential
• Log out of social media sites when finished, particular-
to your financial and personal safety. Unfortunately,
ly when in a public location or using a public computer
identity theft is evolving, with thieves using the latest
technology to move from credit card counterfeiting to • Use two-factor authentication wherever possible.
checking and savings account takeover. A May 2020
• Used strong passwords - keep track of them with a
study by Javelin Strategy and Research found account
password manager
takeovers — identity theft where a criminal gains unau-
• Use a screen lock on portable devices
thorized access to an online account belonging to some-
body else — are trending at the high loss rate, up a stag- • Don’t conduct business or share critical information on
gering 72 percent over the prior year. public Wi-Fi

Remember that when you first create a social media ac- • Put a credit freeze on your accounts with credit bu-
count, you provide personal information such as name, reaus. Equifax, Experian, Innovis, TransUnion
age, email address, etc. And I venture to guess that most (Continued on page 19)

Cyber Awareness Bulletin 18 October 2021