Identity theft on the Internet. How to increase data security?

Undoubtedly, the development of new technologies is one of the fascinating phenomena. Above all, it gives us many opportunities, but it also has its darker side – it leads to development and exposes us to being victims of cybercrime. Data from the BIK in 2017 shows that more than 44% of Poles falling within the age range of 15 to 65 have had an interaction in their lives that compromised the security of their data in any way. So what is identity theft? What does it most often look like? And the most important question is: How do you protect yourself from it?

What is identity theft?

Identity theft is the process of appropriating data that belongs to specific individuals. The most commonly stolen identity data are first names, last names, home addresses, Pesel numbers, birthdays, and credit card numbers and Pins. What is the stolen data most often used for?

• They are used to set up online accounts, obviously fake ones, which are based on the data of the person who was robbed
• They provide the opportunity to forge documents belonging to the victim, which in turn allows them to set up bank accounts in their name and take out loans
• A criminal can use them to rent a property or apartment.

Identity theft-what does it look like?

Identity theft is most often carried out using phishing. Information techniques or hacking an online account are also common ways to steal them. Impersonation is described in Polish criminal law, precisely Article 190a § 2. If you realize that your data has been stolen, you need to report it immediately to the appropriate services, that is, go to the police station. The important thing is to block all online accounts as soon as possible. This is necessary so that new documents are not produced and data leaked.

So how do you protect yourself from data theft?

There is after a question that everyone is surely asking themselves right now. It turns out that there are a few methods to follow to avoid this unpleasant situation:

1. Keep passwords in a safe place-so it’s a waste to store them on your phone
2. When wanting to store online, choose only those stores that are reputed to be safe
3. If you receive an email with suspicious-looking content-don’t open it!
4. Change passwords regularly and make sure they are different everywhere
5. Never share your logins and passwords with third parties
6. You are advised against using the option to remember your password provided by your browser
7. This will come as a shock to many, but it is illegal to copy your bank account number for a wire transfer.

By following the above, the risk of data theft will be minimized as much as possible.