One You Blog

Identity Theft and Online Gaming

Sure, that girl in the MMO is hot, or at least her custom avatar is, does that mean you should trust her?

Probably not.

Remember that a stranger you meet in a game is just like any other stranger. They could still be out to take your identity. You need to be careful not to give out personal data like:

• Your address
• Your real life occupation (IRL)
• Any passwords
• Anything you would not give away in any other situations.

So, be wary on that avatar. No matter how well you think that you know another player, you could just be succumbing to a scammer.

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Who Can I Call if I Think Someone Else is Using My Social Security Number?

A common question, if you think that an identity theif has gotten his hans onto your social security number, who can you call? The answer is the social security buera, of course, but they have hundreds of phone numbers. Which one should you call?

Here is the official answer:

“you can call us toll-free at 1-800-772-1213. We treat all calls confidentially. We can answer specific questions from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. We can provide information by automated phone service 24 hours a day. (You can use our automated response system to tell us a new address or request a replacement Medicare card.) If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call our TTY number, 1-800-325-0778.”

Courtesy of The Social Security Admin Site.

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Personal Information on Your Blog: A Solution

Earlier this week, we looked at the potentially devastating impact of posting too much information on your blog. Today, we are going to look at some ways to keep your posts authentic, but safe.

1. Only use first names. There are a lot of John’s (or even Maurice’s) in any given area.
2. Practice grieving. This is something usually done by TV shows that do not want to be tied to one brand. Just use a term like “cell phone corner” or “Bank” instead of a proper name. Alternately you can use “*****” if you want.
3. Talk in generic terms. You can still rant about Trenton’s new property tax without mentioning you live there.

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Mail and Identity Theft: Are you being Careful?

envelope

There are many ways that your identity can be stolen. Most people believe that staying safe online will help them avoid this crime. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. The mail that arrives everyday in your box may be targeted by criminals. Is this something that you have thought about in the past?

Here is the most common way that your identity can be stolen through the mail:

A criminal takes your mail from the box or out of the trash. Believe it or not there are people who will go through your garbage in hunt of important documents that list your credit card info, social security number, birth date, etc. Protect yourself against this by purchasing a mailbox with a lock, and shredding any and all important papers before disposing of them.

This sounds so far-fetched that many people never think twice. If you get lazy you are leaving the door wide open for your identity to be stolen. With so much confidential information being mailed to your house on a regular basis it is important to keep a close eye on your mail. Even though identity theft via the internet has picked up steam over the past few years, there are still many criminals who will rely on the postal system to get the information they need to ruin your life.

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Protecting Your Privacy on Social Networks

Facebook Mat

When you sign up for a social networking site you are probably thinking about hooking up with old friends, not about your privacy.  The thing is that you need to worry about it, because the companies who run these sites may share your information.  Even if they do not share, on some sites can simply make that information available by way of any search engine.  Depending on what information that you give out the results can range from mere annoyance to outright theft of your private information.  So how do you decide how much information to put on a social networking site.

1. Figure out how much information is displayed on the public profile that anyone who finds you on a search engine or for people who are not on your friends list.
2. Get access, if you can, to an existing account and find out how much information is shown.  You may not want your co-workers to see your home address.

These are your two primary areas of voluntary information dispersal.  Your next job is to read over the terms of service (TOS) on the site.  Look for both conspicuous language about sharing information with select partners’ and less obvious phrases like, “Reserved rights to user data transfers”.  This usually means marketing, but should give you pause.  Those terms are broad enough to encompass anything.

Information you should never post:

* Full home address
* Social security number
* Bank names or account types/numbers
* Earnings or debts
* Professional license numbers

There it is, your brief guide to what (and what not) to put on social networking sites.

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Reading The Terms of Service

Magnifying Glass

When you sign up for an account on a site do you really read the terms of service?  If so then you are in the minority.  Most people breeze by it without any, thought and just click on “accept”.  Now as a realistic person, living in the real world, I know you aren’t going to comb them.  At least not all of them.  That’s why we are going to take a look at some of the essential sections that you at least need to skim.

Content ownership rights: You probably don’t want to assign copyright to the site of anything you write or post.  Be doubly aware of terms that allow for alteration of your content.

Partner companies or any information sharing sections: Be very wary of any section that allows sites to share information without restrictions.  Look for an opt out section and note that information.

Terms changes sections: Most contracts allow for terms to be changed at will.  A good contract should let you know that you will be notified of those changes.

Any sections regarding fees: Obviously this one only applies to paid sites, but you will want to be aware of hidden (or automatic) fees.

See, four sections isn’t that bad.  It shouldn’t take you more than 5 minutes.  Not bad when you consider that it will protect your privacy and your wallet.

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Welcome To The One You Security Blog

Thanks for coming by. One You Security is a company that helps people protect their own and their family’s identity. In today’s information age, privacy and identity are complex subjects and that’s what we’ll be exploring here.

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