Thirty years ago, it happened to me. Someone I knew well, a friend who had spent time in my home and who had access to my personal information, stole my identity.Identity and data privacy is all over the news today, but back then it never occurred to me to keep my driver’s license, social security number, and financial records under lock and key—especially from someone who knew my birthday by heart. And yet my privacy was violated, and my information was used to rent property and open lines of credit in my name. Not only was it a personal blow, but the credit aftermath was an absolute nightmare. I spent months correcting information and attempting to clean up my credit score, and 30 years later some of those false addresses remain attached to my name. The event plagues me to this day. As a result, I’m a bit obsessive about the privacy of personal and financial information. Privacy matters. Here’s why:The data-sharing aspect of the internet has shifted the way we work, the way we shop, and the way we communicate. Unfortunately, it’s also made it easier for sophisticated hackers to grab personal information and use it for criminal activity using these key forms of fraud:
It’s a widespread problem, and it’s only getting worse. During the 2013 holiday season, hackersstole 40 million debit and credit card numbers from Target . Neiman Marcus and Michael’s were hit the next January, and the 2014 epidemic continued with breaches at P.F. Chang’s China Bistro , Albertson’s , and UPS . This year, the IRS announced a huge breach in which stolen Social Security numbers were used to file more than $39 million in fraudulent tax refunds. Just last month, UCLA Health announced that hackers had gained access to the personal information of more than 4.5 million people.Clearly, no matter how quickly the government or other organizations and corporations work to fight new attacks, hackers are working just as furiously to identify new ways into the systems that house our personal data.The result: there’s a better chance than ever that, sooner or later, you too will be a victim of fraud. And while you may not be able to prevent criminals from accessing your data held in someone else’s database, start with these basic steps to keep your data as secure as possible.
It’s a widespread problem, and it’s only getting worse. During the 2013 holiday season, hackersstole 40 million debit and credit card numbers from Target . Neiman Marcus and Michael’s were hit the next January, and the 2014 epidemic continued with breaches at P.F. Chang’s China Bistro , Albertson’s , and UPS . This year, the IRS announced a huge breach in which stolen Social Security numbers were used to file more than $39 million in fraudulent tax refunds. Just last month, UCLA Health announced that hackers had gained access to the personal information of more than 4.5 million people.Clearly, no matter how quickly the government or other organizations and corporations work to fight new attacks, hackers are working just as furiously to identify new ways into the systems that house our personal data.The result: there’s a better chance than ever that, sooner or later, you too will be a victim of fraud. And while you may not be able to prevent criminals from accessing your data held in someone else’s database, start with these basic steps to keep your data as secure as possible.