Secure Your Personal Information Online

Information

Secure Your Personal Information Online

Be aware of who you are sharing your Personal Information. Store and share your personal information securely.

Stay Safe from Fake Person

Make sure you know who is getting your personal or financial information. Don’t give your personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you’ve initiated the contact or know who you’re dealing with. If a company that claims to have an account with you sends an email asking for personal information, don’t click on links in the email. Instead, type the company name into your web browser, go to their site, and contact them through customer service. Or, call the customer service number listed on your account statement. Ask whether the company really sent a mail.

Safely Dispose your Personal Information

Before you dispose of a computer, get rid of all the personal information it stores. Use a wipe utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive.

Before you dispose of a mobile device, check your owner’s manual, the service provider’s website, or the device manufacturer’s website for information on how to delete information permanently, and how to save or transfer information to a new device. Remove the memory or subscriber identity module (SIM) card from a mobile device. Remove the phone book, lists of calls made and received, voicemails, messages sent and received, organizer folders, web search history, and photos.

 

Encrypt Your Data

Keep your browser secure. To guard your online transactions, use trusted browser that scrambles information you send over the internet. A “lock” icon on the status bar of your internet browser means your information will be safe when it’s transmitted. Look for the lock before you send personal or financial information online.

Keep Passwords Private

Use strong passwords with your laptop, credit card, bank, and other accounts. Be creative: Better to think of a special phrase and use the first letter of each word as your password. Substitute numbers for some words or letters. For example, “I want to see the Taj Mahal” could become 1W2CtTM (This is just an example. Don’t use it)

Don’t Share too much information on Social Networking Sites

If you post too much information about yourself, an identity thief can find information about your life, use it to answer ‘challenge’ questions on your accounts, and get access to your money and personal information. Consider limiting access to your networking page to a small group of people. Never post your full name, Aadhar Number, address, phone number, or account numbers in publicly accessible sites.