Revealed: 4 Ways Hackers Steal Your Personal Information and How to Prevent It

In this article, I reveal shocking techniques fraudsters use to get access to your personal information. Find out how to check if your information has been exposed and how to fix that up.

As reported in a 2019 Internet Security Threat Report by Symantec, cybercriminals are diversifying their targets and using stealthier methods to commit identity theft and fraud — and no one is immune.

What is identity theft?

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information in order to gain financial benefits or commit fraud. Your personal information could include your name, street address, e-mail address, SSN, credit card info, health data, court and public record data and other facts about you that should never been available to everyone on the Internet, but they are. This data is accessible to corporations, your future employers, data brokers, cybercriminals, fraudsters and others that are making money out of putting you and your family members at risk.

1. Data Breaches

60% of people believe that their information is safe when they’re browsing the internet, but the reality is very much different.

Data breaches happen all the time and it’s more of a security issue and responsibility of a service provider to take care of how your information is being stored and used. After a data breach, your personal information is at risk of being sold on the dark web and used to commit a crime on your behalf. Data breaches are likely here to stay, and the best defence against them is a good offence. There may be laws and policies to help protect your information, but it still makes sense to stay alert as you enjoy the convenience that a connected life delivers.

2. Phishing

Have you ever ordered something from the Internet and the item never arrived at your doorstep? Or did you ever get a notification that someone has logged into your account from a new location? Cybercriminals often send fraudulent emails or texts that may look legitimate, but instead, they’re opening good copies of a legitimate websites that are there to steal your personal information or login credentials. Once you’ve entered your sensitive information (such as credit card details) at those copycat websites, attackers usually redirect you to legitimate website without you even knowing your information has been stolen. Every time you’re logging in, make sure you’re on a website from a trusted source and be sure to check if the website address (URL) is correct. For example, if you’re buying something on Amazon, be sure the domain in the browser’s URL bar is www.amazon.com, not something different (e.g. shop-amazon.com).

3. Wi-Fi Sniffing

Some public Wi-Fi networks are unencrypted, meaning that any data travelling from and to your phone or laptop is available to attackers if they’re sniffing the network traffic. This data may include your personal information, or login credentials if you’re accessing a website that’s not using HTTPS protocol. Always check the spelling of the network name before connecting, and make sure a website you’re logging in to has a green lock symbol next to the domain name. This means all communication between your device and the server is encrypted (secured from sniffing), but still, it doesn’t mean that the web source is legitimate. Even phishing websites can have an SSL certificate to communicate over HTTPS!

4. Malware attacks

There’s a bunch of ways criminals are installing malware to another person’s device. Malware (or malicious software) is any software designed with an intention to steal your personal information, destroy your data or cause high financial losses. Once it’s installed on your phone or a computer, it might collect your photos or SMS messages and transfer them to the attacker which can sell that data on the dark web. They might be selling your information for years without you knowing anything about it.

How to Find out if your information is exposed?

Data breaches happen all the time and there’s a high chance you’ve already been a victim of some of the above attacks. Furthermore, studies report that 87% of US citizens have left their personal information exposed at some point when using online bank accounts, e-mails or other important apps.

Once a data breach has happened, there’s a high chance you will find out about it when it’s already too late — when your bank statement shows purchases you didn’t make, when IRS informs you that more than one tax return was filed in your name, when you’ve turned down for a loan or strangers start stalking you and your loved ones through social media.

Luckily, there are some tools that will help you find out if a breach involving your personal information has happened, and additionally help you clean up exposed information from the Internet.

One of those tools is www.allenprivacy.com which will process a FREE one-minute scan based just on your full name and state. It will scan all the most popular data broker websites and give you a list of your personal records that are exposed online.

CLICK TO GET A FREE PRIVACY SCAN

Furthermore, you can opt-in to monthly monitoring and information removal and it will make sure your personal data doesn’t reappear anytime in the future.