How to avoid identity theft?

Today, due to the situation we are experiencing due to the coronavirus, people are increasingly aware of the need to maintain hygienic practices to take care of their health and that of their own. However, there are various types of threats from which we must also protect ourselves, one of them being digital identity theft. And it is that, according to data from Banco de México, our country has the eighth place worldwide in digital identity theft and the second in Latin America, which in 2017 generated about 11 billion dollars to criminals cybernetic.

Although it may not seem like it in everyday life, identity theft is one of the most committed crimes in the world and any of us represents a potential victim. As the term suggests, this crime consists in appropriating someone else’s identity through various techniques, making it possible to access the confidential information of the person in question.

According to data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in the United States alone more than 60 million people suffered identity theft during 2018, more than 667 million dollars were lost with imposters in 2019 and it is calculated that by 2022 fraud in purchases report losses of up to 20 billion a year for consumers.

Without a doubt, it is a serious problem against which the best defense is to take the necessary precautionary measures.

How could identity theft affect you?

The data that these types of thieves get to impersonate you are usually full name, address, bank account and credit card numbers, identity or social security number and medical numbers or identifications.

Once they have this information, scammers can apply for credits in your name, change your official address, contract services such as telephone, electricity or gas, steal tax refunds, get medical attention, buy items online with your credit card and including blaming you for a crime committed by them. In addition to suffering financial losses, this will cause a terrible stain on your credit history, because the thief, obviously, will not pay for any of the services that he hires.

Measures to take

It is necessary to take into account that identity thieves obtain this data, most of the time, due to the lack of controls established by the victim himself. Paper invoices, for example, are bad for the environment and for the protection of personal data: anyone could take them from correspondence.

Likewise, thieves can resort to phone calls or emails whose sender is posing as an official institution or company that requests personal data with some excuse. Another option is armed robbery of wallets, almost impossible to prevent.

Taking into account the above, we recommend that you implement the following preventive measures:

• Avoid receiving paper invoices and request service companies to send them by email.
• · Do not share your data with everyone, in person, over the phone or over the Internet. If you have doubts about any request, contact the company directly through the official means to do so.
• · Use strong passwords on all your devices (including uppercase, lowercase, symbols and numbers) and choose a different one for each service. It is also recommended to change it periodically.
• · Keep your operating system and your antivirus program updated on all your devices. Hacks are very common.
• · Never open links or files that reach your email unless you are completely sure that the source is trustworthy.
• · Try not to share your data on social networks — not even by private message — or online storage services, such as Google Drive or Dropbox. The less they see them, the better.
• · If you were the victim of a robbery, report it as soon as possible to the appropriate authorities.

Unfortunately, according to a study by the Identity Theft Resource Center, it is quite common for victims not to discover that their identity has been stolen until three months after the fact. Therefore, it is necessary to review the balances of the bank accounts and pay attention to the bills for the services.

To avoid future identity thefts, the solution that financial institutions are looking for is to give the bank user a more secure digital identity based on biometric technology and stored on practically incorruptible servers so that transactions are increasingly secure and efficient and thus end with one. of the most prolific crimes of the XXI century.