Bankruptcy

New Tips for Protecting Your Money and Identity

By Chris Kramer

Identity crimes?often thought to be the domain solely of tech-savvy online criminals?are on the rise, but thieves are constantly finding new ways to trick people out of their sensitive personal data, and not all of them involve advanced technology.

According to this New York Times article, a new report released by CBS reveals that people who copy sensitive documents on certain photocopying machines are at risk of having their information stolen by unscrupulous thieves.

What You Need to Know

Here?s what the Times report has to say about the risk from photocopiers:

• Hard drive storage: High-end copiers (like those that allow users to make lots of copies relatively quickly) often have hard drives that store digital copies of every document they scan.
• Storage and disposal: Because many photocopier owners may not know that their machines store information in that way, they are unlikely to take steps to erase the digital information before disposing of or selling their machines.
• Easy access: Anyone buying a second-hand photocopier with its hard drive intact could access the stored information without much trouble.

So how should you protect yourself against potential identity thieves from having access to your sensitive information? Take some precautions:

• If using a public photocopier or one at work, ask a technology expert whether the copier stores information, and if it does, how they plan to delete it before disposing of the machine.
• This may seem silly, but always be sure to take your originals with you.
• Consider purchasing a copier/scanner/printer for home use?many computer companies sell such models for relatively little money, and you can rest easy that nobody else will have access to your information.

Improve Your Identity Safety Online

Another Times article offers some handy tips for protecting against the more familiar, online version of identity theft. The suggestions include:

• Update your browser: Makers of web browsers, such as Internet Explorer, frequently release updates of their product. These updates often contain important fixes to security flaws. If you're running IE 6, you could be putting your computer at risk for hacks and malware. You also may consider upgrading to a more sophisticated browser such as Firefox or Google Chrome.
• Get the newest Adobe: Anyone downloading PDF files or watching flash video is likely using Adobe programs. Recent updates have made it much less vulnerable to nefarious infiltration.
• Be careful with ads: Pop-up ads and leading links often lead to dangerous malware or scam offers.
• Use good judgment: Sites like Facebook and Twitter may be hot spots for online scams. Play it safe by accepting friendship only with people you know.

Additional Resources

Preventing Identity Theft

Identity Theft

Full post as published by The Bankruptcy Blog on June 03, 2010 (boomark / email).