How To Protect Your Identity & Investment Assets From Cyber Criminals

Protecting your identity from potential theft is important for everyone. But, it is even more crucial for successful investors like you. Investors have much more to lose when they become the victim of identity theft. That is why it is so vital for successful investors to learn how to protect their identities and prevent identity theft. If you are an investor interested in learning how to protect your identity and your investments, keep reading. Below, learn the top identity theft protection tips recommended by cyber criminals themselves to protect your identity and your assets.

Be Cautious With Your Info

Investors must be extremely cautious about giving out their personal information. This is particularly important when it comes to your personal social security number. Your SSN is the key to your identity. Losing it could put you at risk for credit card fraud and all other manners of fraud crimes. Likewise, your personal info should also be closely guarded. Do not respond to any requests for personal information that seem suspicious. The more closely you guard your personal information, including your SSN, the better you will be able to protect your identity from potential identity fraud.

Install Firewalls On All Devices

Install firewalls on all your smart devices, laptops and computers. A firewall will help you protect your personal identifying data online. It will ensure that no unsavory characters gain unapproved access to your personal data. These types of digital protections are absolutely imperative to an effective identity protection plan. Installing a firewall is especially important for investors who use online brokerage platforms instead of local brokerage firms like the Investment Counselors of Maryland. Without a firewall, cyber criminals and hackers can save keystroke data to log into your online investment accounts. Prevent this and prevent identity theft from happening to you by installing firewalls on any gadgets with internet access that you own.

Review Your Credit Reports

Be sure to review your annual credit report every year. While reviewing the report, make sure to confirm that all accounts and transactions listed are accurate. Make sure that there are no new credit accounts opened that you did not open yourself. This will help you ensure that you have not fallen victim to identity theft without realizing it. If there are discrepancies on your credit report, be sure to reach out to the credit reporting agency to rectify the problem. They will also be able to guide you to the right place to find out how to protect your identity going forward if you did indeed fall victim to identity theft. Review your credit report each and every year. This is such an important step for investors to take when securing their personal identity.

Use Strong Passwords

Be sure to use really strong passwords for your investment accounts. This is true of all accounts you may have. But, it is particularly important for online brokerage platforms that you utilize for stock vesting. These online brokerage websites have some of your most crucial financial information. If some unsavory character was able to compromise these investing accounts, it could destroy your personal finances and your investing potential going forward. Use the strongest passwords you can think of, including punctuation characters and numbers, to protect your identity online. It is one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect your identity as an online investor.

Utilize Two Factor Authentication

One of the best ways to protect your identity online is to use two factor authentication, or two step authentication, features whenever possible. Two step authentication processes require you to use a second point of contact to confirm your identity when logging into an online account from a new device for the first time. Most often, you will use your cell phone to verify your identity via text message. However, there are other types of two factor authentication contacts you can choose to use, like phone calls or emails to a secondary email address. Using two factor authentication makes it harder to hack your accounts. The harder it is to hack your online investing accounts and other accounts with similarly vital personal data, the better identity theft protections you have. Be sure to remember this when you are deciding on a strategy for how to protect your identity as an online investor.

Every single person should take precautions to protect their identity online and off. But, protecting your identity from identity theft is even more important as a successful investor with the best options strategies. Successful investors have a trove of data and fiscal resources ripe for plundering by cyber criminals looking to commit identity theft. Thankfully, you can protect yourself from identity theft. Learn how to protect your identity in the post above. These identity theft protection tips are some of the best to help you secure your most personal information. This way, you never have to worry about becoming the victim of identity theft. These identity theft protection strategies are easy to implement and worth your time. Use them to start protecting yourself online as soon as you possibly can.

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