How safe are your financial secrets?

How safe are your financial secrets?

How safe are your financial secrets?

Identity fraud is now being recognised as a major issue affecting people from all walks of life, particularly as people head online to share more information with the world than ever before on social networks such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Security experts are advising users of social networking sites like these to always check the security settings of the site, and avoid revealing any personal details that could be taken advantage of by criminals when updating their profiles and sharing statuses.

The huge number of financial scams that happen as a result of online activity are claiming more victims each year, and even as some become better understood and more easily avoided, fraudsters are becoming ever more adept at creating realistic-looking websites and obtaining peoples' personal details.

Whether you're a regular internet user or you're logging on for the first time, it can be worth taking time out to learn how to surf safely and securely - learning how to recognise protected websites by looking for the padlock symbol on your browser, and to find out which emails are likely to be bogus.

You should never have to enter your bank or credit card details unless you are actually making a purchase online, and never ever on a social networking website like Facebook. Emails from banks or financial services such as PayPal that ask you to confirm your details are most likely to be fraudulent in nature, and should be deleted or reported to the relevant authorities. If you are uncertain whether an email or message claiming to be from a company is genuine, getting in touch with the company separately and referring to the message should clear matters up, and protect your safety. Even emails or messages allegedly sent by your close friends or relatives may be fraudulent, and with a little knowledge these can be easy to identify.

However, not all scams are as easy to spot, especially with criminals making use of 'phishing' sites and applications such as videos that may contain viruses. Being careful with the things you click on can protect your safety online, as can adjusting your privacy settings to ensure you're only revealing information that you'd really want everyone to know. This could even involve removing some people from your friends lists on social networks, if you feel you don't completely trust them with the information contained on your profile.

If you're worried about your financial security when browsing online, you could always make sure your identity is protected with Identity Protection insurance. This will put you in a better position to get your money back in the event that criminals use your identity to commit fraud online.

The author of this article is a part of a digital blogging team who work with brands like CPP. The content contained in this article is for information purposes only and should not be used to make any financial decisions.

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