California's Top Target For US cybercrime -
There are no surprises the Golden State is the target for most cyber crimes given its vast population and commercial success in Silicon Valley and the high cost of living in major cities of the state, and yet it is still alarming how many violations do affect the state, compared to number of general violations of the United States. for example, the data Protection Law Clearinghouse has recorded at least 331 offenses in 2012. of this total, 16 percent (about 53 offenses) occurred in California and has a total of 2.5 million Californians at risk of identity theft .
How these violations occur?
The ratio of transnational organized crime details four leading causes of data breaches, including phishing, malware, skimmers and abuses by insiders.
Phishing occurs when a consumer or an employee of a company is forced to provide sensitive information - such as account numbers, login information or other personal information . Victims of phishing attacks usually enter their information into a phishing site, because they do not know that the site is dangerous as phishing sites are designed to look like trusted site and are complete with logos and imprint .
malware , or malicious software, is a program used by identity thieves to record keystrokes and even take screenshots on the victim machine with the hoping to collect sensitive information such as social security number of the victim or sign iT staff. The victim falls for a malware attack by clicking a link on a suspicious email or on a website. Clicking on the link causes the malware to infect the user's machine, giving the thief full access to anything on the user's device.
Skimmers are devices that are attached to credit or debit card terminal with the intent to copy all the information from the card and collect PINs consumers. Learn more about skimmers, including how to avoid accidentally using a slotted spoon.
Violations by insiders occur when employees of an abuse of the company they have access to confidential documents, such as customer payment information, with hoping to provide sensitive information to the thieves in exchange for profit. These types of attacks are generally less sophisticated group.
What people through the United States can do to protect themselves?
Although California is the top target for cyber crime, all consumers need to know how to protect against these attacks. And although the types of attacks described above are specific to companies, the reality is that anyone can be a victim of these attacks. The tips below will help make you less vulnerable to them as well as help you detect when you have been the victim of a data breach.
1. Monitor your bank statements regularly: Every month when you receive your bank statement, you must open it and make sure that all transactions are correct and verify that you are the only to complete all transactions. If you notice a transaction you do not recognize, then you should contact your bank immediately and report the potential fraud. A representative of the customer service of your bank will be able to guide you through the process of fraud reports. By actively monitoring your statements each month you make yourself less vulnerable to thieves because you are more likely to catch fraudulent transactions before it becomes uncontrollable.
2. Ask questions before you provide personal information: Whenever you are in a store, you should ask questions before providing personal information such as your number phone or your birth date. Do not be afraid to ask the employee why the company needs this information, how it will be stored and who will have access. If the company needs the information to register a sort of loyalty program that allows you to get a discount on your purchases, you may want to consider not signing up for the loyalty program because in the long term, paying a little more money for goods worth more than being a victim of identity theft.
3. Be skeptical: When you're on the Internet, it is important to be skeptical of anything that sounds too good to be true, or any person who asks for personal information, especially if you are offered free money or free services no reason. Never click on anything with these claims and remember that if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Being a skeptical online, you make yourself less vulnerable to fall for any kind of online marketing scams.
4. Use an Internet security software: This software is designed to protect your computer and your personal information when using the Internet. It will warn you if you clicked on something that could be a phishing site and even let you know if a website is safe. Internet security software protects more computers for a year and usually costs less than $ 80 per year.
5. Consider identity theft protection: Although there are steps you can take on your own to protect yourself against identity theft, such as shredding documents containing personal information or to check your credit card statements regularly, sometimes there are steps you can 't take on your own - such as monitoring the use of personal information on public folders. That's where the protection measures against identity theft
These services are protecting your identity to the next level by monitoring sales, trading and buying your personal information -. Such as your Social Security number, date of birth and credit card numbers - on the Internet black market on top of monitoring the use of your personal information on public records and service requests, such as public services. If your information is on one of these three scans, you will be immediately notified by email, text, phone or traditional mail (depending on your preferences and the service you select) to alert you to the potential threat and inform you of the steps you should take to protect yourself
in addition to the detailed monitoring of identity above, most of the protection services against identity theft also monitor the activity on the three - . Experian, Equifax, TransUnion - to your credit reports. If something is added or changed on the reports, you will be alerted immediately and the service provided with steps you should take to protect your credit reports.
If your identity is stolen while you 're signed for protection against identity theft, you will have full access to identity theft restoration specialists that will help you all long identity theft restoration process.
And, the best part of identity theft protection services is that most of them offer a free trial so you can test the service before making a financial commitment. Visit our identity notice of protection against theft to see which service will best suit your needs.
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