We know it can be difficult to find all the information you need to improve your internet security. Here we want to recommend some ways to keep your data secure for your peace of mind.

In this article we have compiled tips to help protect your identity from people with bad-intentioned means, stop fraudulent emails and to protect yourself from internet piracy. These security measures are general and are not meant to address only timeshare-owners.

It seems that news headlines in papers and the media want to make us believe that identity theft is a problem almost exclusively on the internet. You must know that there are many real dangers off the internet. A stolen wallet can result in you being a victim of identity theft. According to statistics 14 % of identity theft results from stolen wallets, check books and credit cards.

Protect yourself by destroying documents containing personal information such as bank statements. Your mailbox must be locked. Remove any document that is not absolutely essential from your wallet or purse. Do not ever respond to emails or phone calls asking for your account information or credit card-details. This is especially important if you have entered your data in one of these offers “List your timeshare for free” or any “free” services. Remember – nothing is free. If you do not pay with money – you will pay by giving information about yourself.

Protect your computer and software.

Your computer must be protected from attacks by hackers who may try to access your personal information or use your computer to attack other computers. The key to security on your computer is the use of protection software and to keep it updated. Make sure you install all security patches available from the developer of your operation system.

You must run good antivirus software to check emails and update virus definitions frequently. Set up a firewall to prevent intruders from accessing your network or your PC/laptop. Be careful when clicking links in emails or web pages of dubious origin. Do not ever access your bank account from a public computer.

Fake Web sites.

A fake website is designed to imitate a real Website of a well-known company. You will be asked to enter your user name and password or other account information. By doing this, you are providing your information to someone who could use your details against your interests.

While many e-commerce websites are reputable and have taken the necessary safety precautions to protect you, it never hurts to always proceed cautiously.

You must ensure that websites where you enter your personal information or you make any critical financial transaction are hosted on a secure server. You can identify this in the code inserted at the beginning of the address in your browser and you will see https:// instead of the usual http (without the “s”).

Look for the little security padlocks that indicate a secure connection. You will find this padlock in the address bar of your browser or on the bottom on the right (depending on the version of your browser).

Check if the website in question provides transparency regarding security, privacy, physical address, and cancellation policy, clear explanations about delivery or management of their service contracts, protection of children (adult or game pages) and how they settle on disputes.

Phishing emails

Phishing emails are designed to resemble legitimate businesses but in fact are sent from identity thieves. These emails advice or warn you about problems or other important account information to trick you to go to a fake website to enter your details or to call a phone number to talk to a fraudulent customer service.

Legitimate Sites will never send any emails or sms messages to your inbox requesting user name, passwords, account or credit card-details. Anyone asking for this information is likely to be involved in fraudulent activity.

A typical phishing email could look like this: “We need to inform you that during our security reform we are asking every user to become ID Verified, this security measure will protect our customers from account thefts and any other fraudulent activities. To secure your account please visit the link below:”

Do not visit any link, not below and not above. Delete the email immediately. Spammers keep finding more creative ways to fill our email boxes. Don’t look for this trend to stop anytime soon.

Phone calls

Please beware of phone calls claiming to be customer service of well known companies or banks. If they ask you to provide sensitive personal information you should hang up and call the number provided on the website of the company.

Protect your passwords

Always choose strong passwords to protect your accounts. Keep it in a safe place and replace it every few months. We want to encourage you to choose a password with 8 or more characters, including letters, numbers and special characters. Please avoid the use of familiar names, dates or the same password on multiple websites.

Check your accounts frequently. Log into your account and check the activities of credit card balances often to discover suspicious activities on time. Act quickly. The longer it takes to detect the more expensive it might get. The chances of suffering significant financial damage from identity theft are reduced significantly if any intrusion is detected within the first six months of occurrence. After six months you are more likely to lose money or you will have to spend many hours trying to repair a really complicated situation.

Following these simple tips you can use the internet for really anything; you may shop, gamble, advertise and interact in forums without any problems.

Do you have any bad experiences regarding security online? Share and leave a comment or post it in our forum