How to Avoid Being Phished

Unbeknownst to most people, the way they deal with their online log-ins and passwords makes them victims of phishing. Phishing?

Phishing is a way personal and sensitive information are stolen. These do not just limit itself to e-mail log-ins but to credit card details too and accounts made available online. This is online theft, in other words.

It pays to have a know-how on identity theft protection.

There are password-stealing malwares lurking at every corner in the world wide web waiting for opportunities to steal these information.

How should you avoid being phished?

• Avoid using your birthdate or Social security number as your password.
• Avoid using letters and/or numbers in sequence
• Check the url of a site first before you click on it. For example, an email gives you notification about your paypal account but has a url that is not paypal’s site. Or, if you have an email stating you have purchased something but did not do so or an unclaimed package but did not send anything? Do NOT click on the links there.
• Check the security settings of social networking sites where you have accounts for these have third party applications that fish information you put.
• Should you find the need to use an internet cafe, be sure to clear the cache or clear history before you leave the workstation.

Being careful with online activity is something one should take note of.

And please, change your passwords every now and then and avoid being predictable 🙂