You never know who is watching. Most people who appear to be minding their own business while you are conducting your own business probably mean you no harm. But that's not the case for everyone. Some are watching, waiting for you to reveal important information. This identity theft method can be an effective way to gather information. Shoulder surfing involves the identity thief observing and/or eavesdropping on a potential victim to gather information such as PINs, account numbers, credit card numbers, passwords, etc.
The shoulder surfer will stand behind you at the grocery store or ATM, watching carefully as pull out your credit card or type in your PIN, maybe even taking pictures with a camera phone. Or he could be watching from farther off with binoculars. The shoulder surfer may also be sitting nearby at your favorite coffee shop, stealing glances at your fingers as you type in passwords on your laptop and eavesdroping on cell phone conversations for useful information. While most people around you are not trying to steal your identity, it is always best to act with some degree of caution.
If your identity thief has some hi-tech surveillance gear, it may be hard to hide from him, but here are a few tips to make it harder for the average shoulder surfer to steal your information:
* Do not write down passwords and PINs. As soon as you pull out that slip of paper, you make the shoulder surfing so much easier.
* Be aware of your surroundings and make note of those around you.
* If you are using a laptop in public, try to point the screen away from public view.
* Computer users should make user names and passwords as long and difficult as possible. Changing passwords frequently is also wise.
* While many ATMs are now modified to combat shoulder surfing, it is best to use the ATM as quickly as possible, and do not leave receipts behind.
It's always best to be cautious when it comes to your personal information. After all, you never know who is watching your back.
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3 comments:
Your Blog is a work of art! Keep up the great work! Identity theft is a senseless crime and should be dealt with harshly. For some more great information on how to prevent online identity theft, visit The Keep Your Green Magazine and read this article. My compliments.
I'm sorry, the last reference to The Keep Your Green Magazine did not direct you to the right page. This is the correct link to the article.
Thanks for the praise. I think the information needs to be spread as much as possible. That's why I'm doing this. Also, thanks for the link. I'll look it over and consider adding it to my list of resources. Thanks again!
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