Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft
Criminals are always looking for ways to get your personal information, such as, credit card numbers, social security numbers, bank account information, passwords, and other sensitive information. They will go through extreme measures to gain access to that information such as going through your trashcan, sending you malicious emails, etc. The following are recommendations on how to protect yourself from identity theft.
Receiving Suspicious Email or Pop-up Messages
If you receive a suspicious email or a pop-up message asking for your personal or financial information, do not reply or click on any links provided. If you are concerned about your account, contact the organization or look up the company's web address using the Internet to obtain the company's information. Legitimate companies will never ask you for your personal information via e-mail.
Secure Websites
If you need to send personal information through an organization's website, always look for indicators that the site is secure. Indicators to look for are a lock icon on the browser's status bar, or the site address will contain "http s :" in theURL. The "s" stands for secure. Keep in mind that no indicator is foolproof, and it is possible to forge security icons or certificates.
Bank Statements
Always review bank/credit card statements as soon as you get them to verify unauthorized charges. If your statement is late, contact your credit card company or bank institution to confirm your address and balances.
Malicious Software
Phishing e-mails may contain malicious software that can infect your computer with viruses, ransomware or track your activities when browsing the Internet without your knowledge. Always use anti-virus programs, and be sure to keep them up to date. In addition to keeping them updated, make sure that they are running scans regularly. The software cannot protect you if it is not up to date and being used.
Malicious Web Sites
Make sure your web browser has a secure configuration or other security solution to help protect your computer. For Microsoft Internet Explorer, never set it to "Accept all cookies" and make sure to turn on the "Pop-up Blocker" and the "Phishing Filter" if available. Another way to improve your Internet security while browsing the web, is to install the "No Script" add-on for Mozilla based web browsers, like Firefox. It will provide you with feedback regarding whether a site should be trusted or not.
Email Attachments
Always be cautious when opening any attachments or files in an email, regardless of whether you know the sender of the email message. If you know the person who is sending you the email, you can call the person to verify whether the email is legitimate.
Contact the Information Security Office at security@utep.edu to report any suspicious emails you receive. The email should be forwarded as an attachment if possible.