5 Common Online Mistakes That Can Compromise Your Identity (and Credit!)

Most people use the Internet every day, without ever thinking of the potential risks to their identity’s security. Considering the facts about identity fraud, maybe they should. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that 1 in 6 Americans will be a victim of identity theft, this year alone! Since it’s easier to prevent identity theft than it is to get credit repair help, here are five common mistakes that you might be making:

1. Assuming your security software is keeping you safe. Criminals create new viruses all the time, and unless you constantly update your security software, it won’t keep you safe. To keep yourself from signing up for a credit repair program in the future, make sure you have the latest version of your security software.

2. Accessing your accounts through email links. If your bank sends you an email suggesting that you update your account information, manually type in the URL you want to go to – never click the link. “Phishing” scams have become wildly popular, because they’re so effective and extremely hard to detect. Save yourself the headache of having to use a credit repair program, and type the link in yourself.

3. Using the same password for all of your accounts. Unless you want to pay somebody for credit repair help, change up your passwords! Use a variety of numbers and letters, and change your passwords at least twice a year. Otherwise, you’re leaving yourself susceptible to the cyber crooks that want to max out your credit cards.

4. Downloading free software. We’re not saying that everyone who downloads free software will need credit repair help in the future, but be wary of downloading something just because it’s free. Before installing anything, do a little online research to see if anyone has had problems with the software. As many identity fraud victims can tell you, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

5. Shopping online without checking to see if you’re secure. Before you buy anything online, make sure the URL starts with “https”, which offers much more security than “http”.

It’s also a good idea to frequently check your credit report – just in case. If you find something unusual, find an expert and get credit restoration help immediately. The longer you ignore it, the worse it will be later on.

By: Mick Bernard

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Mick is a Certified Credit Restoration Expert and President of Credit Strategies, a credit consulting firm in Scottsdale, Arizona. Credit Strategies works with consumers with less than perfect credit increase their credit scores so they can qualify for the best possible financing. If you're looking for some credit restoration then conciser our credit repair program.