Many Adults do not Adequately Protect Personal Information Online to Avoid Internet Identity Theft
As increasing numbers of adults find their way onto the internet and the various social networking websites that can be joined with just a few clicks of the mouse, many are unknowingly revealing unprotected personal information to the world that could be utilized by online identity thieves.
According to a study released this week by the Experian-backed ProtectMyID.com, 75 percent of respondents over 45 years of age used some type of online social network. However, more than half of them also were found to be inadequately protecting the excessive amounts of personal information they reveal on the websites from the public - and online identity thieves who could be looking for personal information to commit identity fraud with.
The study found that 14 percent of adults surveyed listed their home address on their online profiles, while almost half of respondents revealed some type of family or relationship, valuable information for identity thieves.
However, the survey also found that 35 percent of adults had made no adjustments to the security settings on the networking websites in an effort to avoid internet identity theft. Because the goal of these websites is to spread information, the initial security settings are often less stringent and allow for less protection and a certain of level of personal information to be revealed.
"The reality of widespread social networking necessitates an overall awareness of the associated risks and potential for online identity theft," said Jennifer Leuer, general manager of ProtectMyID.com. "Individuals must be thoughtful about the information they choose to share and use privacy settings to share that information with a close network, to deter those looking to exploit this data for personal gain."
In order to avoid falling victim to internet identity theft, ProtectMyId suggested that adults on social networking websites make a point to limit and protect the amount of detailed personal information they put online which would be useful to an identity thief, in case some of it is revealed to someone trying to take advantage of it.
Additionally, consumers should be careful when using online games or quizzes, as they are sometimes nothing more than identity theft ploys to lower one's guard before getting people to divulge personal information.
