Identity Theft; Online Shopping & Your Personal Security...What Are You Doing Wrong...?
It's a Wednesday evening, you've had a long day at work, dinner didn't quite go as planned, you finally got the kids bathed and off to bed, and it's time to plop down in your favorite easy chair with your laptop or tablet. You tap the POWER button, let the system get its legs, and begin surfing some of your favorite sites looking for the greatest deals on the knick-knacks, do-dads, and things you can't live without. Somewhere along the line you find something you just have to have, the price is right, you have a little extra spending cash this week, and what the hell...you deserve it!
You make the purchase, visit a few more sites, click on a couple of ads and before you know it, you have tracking numbers for half a dozen purchases. The stress of the day somewhat relieved from the online shopping excursion, you return the card to its rightful place, wash your face, brush your teeth and get ready for bed. You lie there in bed with visions of your packages arriving via FedEx and UPS over the next couple of days as sleep slowly drifts in and wraps its warm, inviting arms around you...
...around 3:30 in the morning, while you are in the deepest of sleep, your smart phone starts ringing...the increasing volume tone you have it set drags you out of your slumber, you reach for the phone and begin wiping your eyes as you fumble to answer the call. As your thumb slides across the screen you mutter your first words of the day...
"Hello...I don't know who this is, but you better have a damn good reason for calling me at this hour"...you half shout into the mouthpiece.
"Mr. Jones, this is Valerie from Visa...sir, are you in Belgrade, we are showing several purchases on your card from that location within the last half hour"...the female voice on the other end of the line states.
Your eyes are wide open at this point...your heart hammering away in your chest like a double bass drum at a speed metal show...the palms of your hands are sweaty as fear and panic begin to make their presence known. As it turns out, those online purchases you made on 6 different websites earlier...wasn't such a good idea, you used your credit card and now the hackers have stolen your identity and maxed out your credit limit. This could've all been avoided...and here's how.
You really need to pay attention to how you interact with the internet. I would venture to say that 99.5% of all identity theft cases in the digital age are a direct result of piss poor personal security measures being applied to online shopping habits. In order to avoid having your identity compromised while shopping at your favorite stores online, purchase a re-loadable debit card, or pre-pay gift card. You can purchase these at most Big Box Stores, as well as Big Pharma outlets and some Dollar Store chains. This may seem like an inconvenience, but it is far less annoying and aggravating than recovering your identity.
You can activate these cards anonymously, or with a fictitious name and bogus address (note; by bogus I am referring to an actual physical address that is not your own). When you place your online order and go to checkout, use this card instead of your credit/debit card...enter the fictitious name and address in the BILLING ADDRESS section, and then enter your name and real address in the SHIPPING ADDRESS section, as if you were sending it as a gift. This will protect your personal financial information while allowing you to continue enjoying the best deals you can find on the products you like best.
If you liked this hint and found it helpful upvote and resteem!
Check out my previous post on Social Media Hacking Solution!
Stay tuned for more helpful online hints to protect your security!