With the recent data breach at Facebook,
highlighting the importance of knowing how to minimize the risk of cyber
threats and how to respond if your personal data may have been compromised is
very important to everyone.
On Friday, it was reported that approximately
50 million user Facebook accounts were impacted by a data breach. Facebook did
not indicate if any user information was accessed.
The Office of Consumer Protection recommends
the following best practices for consumers who use social media:
§ Change your password regularly, and always use
a strong password.
§ When available, use two-factor authentication
for login.
§ Refrain from using any automatic sign-in
functions/features of social media accounts and applications.
§ Monitor your privacy settings and adjust as
needed.
§ Remove birth dates, addresses, and phone
numbers from your account information.
§ Carefully consider the information you post,
recognizing that in the event of a data breach, it could end up in the hands of
people intent upon stealing your identity or conducting other malicious
activities.
Scammers who obtain the personal information
of others may try to open new accounts or extort money from their
victims. According to the office of Consumer Protection, there are several
options for people to monitor their credit and keep their identities safe,
including:
§ Don’t pay a ransom. Paying a ransom is an ineffective way of
handling the exposure of your personal information. It’s best to focus on
proactively securing your identity.
§ Consider a free security freeze. A security freeze allows you to “lock up” your
credit information so no one can access it without your permission. A freeze
prevents a thief from taking out a new mortgage, applying for a credit card, or
getting financing with your identity. When you “freeze” your credit, it stays
frozen for as long as you’d like – until you can comfortably “thaw” it once
again.
§ Place a fraud alert on your credit. Fraud alerts are a special message you can
place on your credit report. The alert tells credit issuers there may be
fraudulent activity on an account. Fraud alerts last for 90 days; although they
won’t stop a scammer from being issued new credit, they can slow them down.
§ Request a free credit report annually. Reviewing your credit report is a great way to
check for unauthorized activity. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com or
call 1-877-322-8228 to request your free annual report.
§ Credit monitoring services offer additional
protection. Credit monitoring
services track changes in your behavior and send you notifications about your
credit score and potential fraud. These services typically cost between $10 —
$30 per month.
