From computers to smartphones, tablets to digital assistants, we are personally connected to so many items. These items all hold personal information and it can seem daunting to try and safeguard them all. We’re here to tell you that there are a few quick ways you can increase your security in almost no time. Below you will find five ways to increase your security in one day.

Review Security Settings On Smart Devices

Many of us have Alexa, Siri or Google in our homes and in our pockets. All of these personal assistants are listening in to better assist you as well as for marketing purposes. We’re connected to everything, from our phones to in some cases even our refrigerators. Take a few minutes today to review the security settings on these devices. You want to make sure that you set things up so that you have as much privacy as possible.

Install Security Software

Criminals are always finding new ways to retrieve your information, so we could all use a helping hand in staying ahead of the latest trends. Luckily, we have security software that is designed to help you detect when you’ve encountered something dangerous. Whether you encounter a fake or malicious website or accidentally download malware or a virus, these programs will help you steer clear of those sites or detect and delete any harmful files you may have downloaded.

Get A Password Manager

Your passwords are the key to so much of your personal information. Ensuring that you have unique, strong passwords for every site or app you use is imperative. Yes, this means you should have a different password for everything. Remembering all of these passwords would be almost impossible. A password manager can be installed and will store all of your passwords in one place, as well as assist you in creating strong passwords. Your passwords should be changed regularly, and some password managers can even do that automatically on several popular websites.

Review Security Settings On Apps/Websites

You may be unaware of exactly how much you’re sharing to social media or with app companies. Apps can use your camera, microphone and GPS to record and track you if you give them the permission. You may have your settings on social media set to public so that anyone can see what you post, whether they are your friend or not. Use this time to update your security settings so that you’re only sharing what you want to be sharing.

Sign Up For Identity Theft Restoration

If your identity should be stolen, you could be looking at hundreds of hours of work and thousands of dollars to restore what was lost. With all of the data breaches that are coming to light (and those yet to happen), almost everyone will experience some sort of identity fraud in the future. A domestic, certified identity theft restoration company can take care of all of the work to restore your identity should you become a victim. However, you must be registered with a restoration service before an identity theft event occurs. Give yourself some peace of mind by knowing someone has your back if it gets put up against the wall.

These are five ways to increase your security in one day. In almost no time at all, you can increase your privacy exponentially.

In the 70’s, the band The Main Ingredient sang, “Everybody plays the fool sometime. There’s no exception to the rule.” There is a lot of truth to this statement. However, there are certain aspects of your life where you need to make sure you never play the fool. One of these is with your identity and your personal information. Criminals are always looking for new ways to obtain personal information and use it to their advantage. Don’t get fooled by identity theft scams by learning about some of the most common types.

Skimming

Skimming is a scam where your credit card number is stolen during a transaction. Most commonly, a device (a skimmer) is attached to the portion of a card reader where you swipe the magnetic strip. The skimmer allows for your credit card information to be retrieved from the magnetic strip and stored. Criminals can then use this copy of your credit card to make fraudulent purchases.

Most credit and debit cards are now being outfitted with an embedded microchip which encrypts your credit card information during a transaction. We advise always using the chip instead of the magnetic strip, if possible.

Pharming

When a scammer tampers with a website’s domain name system or host file, in order to reroute users to a fraudulent website, this is called pharming. Since the redirection comes from a trusted website, most users will believe that they are entering their personal or financial information on a secure and trusted website.

Before you enter any important information on any website, you should always ensure that the website is secure and trusted. In order to do this, look for a padlock in the address bar (where you enter a website’s URL). If the padlock is present, this website is secure.

Phishing

Phishing is a broad term which covers any scam where you are tricked into providing personal information. Basically, any avenue where someone can contact you is a medium for phishing. Some of the most common are:

• E-mail scams which pretend to be from a trusted website, a “family member” asking for money, a political campaign or even an institution such as the IRS or FBI. Never give personal information through e-mail, always call if information is required. Never click on links or attachments in e-mails unless you are extremely confident in the sender of the e-mail.
• Threatening phone calls from “FBI agents” or debt collectors that you aren’t familiar with.
• Website pop-ups.
• Viruses such as ransomware.

The moral of the story is that you can never be too careful when it comes to your personal information. The personal, financial and possibly even legal toll it can have on you is enormous. Don’t get fooled by identity theft scams. Be smart, be safe.