#4 Identity Theft

Identity theft is a crime, where a third party steals your personal information and pretends to be you. The third party then uses your details to get social or financial benefits such as false credit cards, bank account withdrawals and others. This is one threat than can have serious repercussions on the individuals whose identity is stolen.

Popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin are increasingly used for this purpose, thanks for the users’ personal information carried on these sites. Online fraudsters lie in wait for any tiny bit of personal information on these sites that can be exploited to steal the user’s identity.

Basic information such as name, date of birth, e-mail address, and mailing address can be the objects of exploitation. Some of the precautions that could protect identity theft includes, hiding personal information by using the security settings; do not enter confidential information on the site; use a strong password to access your online accounts, include numbers and special characters; keep online financial transactions to a minimum; have Virus detection software installed on your system to protect against spyware.