How to Avoid Privacy Risks
Protecting your privacy by avoiding either online or offline privacy risks allows you to prevent third parties from obtaining and using some of your personal information, such as your Social Security number or your credit card number. Using this personal information, criminals could steal your identity and use your name to, for example, open bank accounts or commit tax fraud. Follow a few recommendations to avoid privacy risks, on the Internet or in your daily life.
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Instructions
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Offline Risks
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Leave documents that contain sensitive personal information in a safe place instead of carrying them along with you. This includes your Social Security card, your birth certificate or your passport. By carrying them around, you run the risk of losing them, allowing the person who finds them to use some of your personal information.
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Mail bill payments by bringing them to the post office or dropping them in a secure mailbox. Since bill payments usually contain personal financial data, along with your name and address, avoid leaving them in your personal mailbox.
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Buy a paper shredder and shred all financial or sensitive documents and letters before placing them in the recycling or trash.
Online Risks
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Check if websites you send personal data to use a security certificate. If you visit a Web page that uses such a certificate to encrypt data, look for a locked padlock icon next to the address of that site in your browser's address bar. The site's Web address should also begin with the "https://" prefix.
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Check a website's privacy policy before sending any personal information. Every reputable website contains a privacy policy that outlines how it plans to use and protect the personal data it collects from its users. You can usually find a link to a website's privacy policy by visiting its "Help" section or by clicking a link at the bottom of the home page.
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Use alternate email addresses when subscribing to mailing lists, filling out forms or signing up for promotions. This allows you to prevent spammers from sending you unsolicited advertisement to your main email address.
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Use a credit card when making online purchases. Debit cards usually do not offer their users the same protection when it comes to dealing with unauthorized online payments. You can also consider applying for a prepaid credit card that you could then use for your online purchases.
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Tips & Warnings
If you suspect you are the victim of online or offline identity theft, you should immediately contact your local police department.
