Protect your Online Identity

I’m sure this is something we’re going to be hearing more about in the next few years: online identity security (for lack of a better description). This refers to someone pretending to be you online – whether it is someone setting up fake Facebook accounts in your name or hitting up Twitter pretending to be you. It happens all the time – sure, more to celebrities than to us “regular” folks (check out how many Britney Spears’ there are on Twitter), but that’s bound to change.

Though these posers are not taking money out of your pocket, they are damaging your reputation, which can be just as costly. Not only are they saying things which could be untrue, they could also use your profile to distribute worms or other malware. Who wants that associated with their name?

In order to ensure you can keep yourself safe online, there are a few things you can do:

1. Claim your name – sign up for each social network as it comes out, even if you don’t plan on using it.
2. Monitor for your name – search Google or set up an RSS feed for mentions of your name. You may spot if someone is pretending to be you.
3. Don’t be hasty - if someone has your name, make sure it’s an imposter and not a coincidence
4. Act wisely - if you spot an imposter, contact customer service to take down the fraudulent profile. Never contact the imposter, that will egg them on.
5. Restrict access – make it harder for people to find your info. Set your Facebook profile to private and don’t allow apps full access to your profile.
6. Type URLs - if you want to sign up for a new service, learn about it first, and then type that URL into your browser. Don’t follow links from emails, as that could be a phishing scam.
7. Be wary of new profiles - be wary of newly-set-up profiles of people trying to “friend” you. Many profiles are being created in order to distribute worms. Wait until you’re sure the profile belongs to who you think it does.
8. Don’t forget about ID Theft - keep your private information secure too! Don’t give people an easy way to commit identity theft or credit card fraud. This is a whole other topic, but worth re-mentioning here.

Via pcmag, RWW