Cybercrime of identity theft

Cybercrime is any criminal activity that takes place through the use of computer devices and the internet. The growing trend of identity theft has been a source of concern to many people, especially business owners who stand to risk losing so much whenever they suffer any attack from cyber criminals. There are many types of cybercrime but this article will focus on and briefly introduce one known as identity theft. And proffer some guidelines on how to avoid being a victim of it.

IDENTITY THEFT: this is defined to mean fraudulently using someone’s personal information to obtain benefits in different forms; at the expense of the owner of such information. Some examples are; using another person’s personal information to get attention, and from it collect loans and credits, using another person’s information to have access to the person’s online banking or mobile banking application, then transfer monies belonging to such person to another bank account owned or controlled by the criminal, etc.

This phenomenon is increasingly gaining popularity especially in cyber space where many innocent and ignorant people expose themselves. Another reason it is common in our modern society is because many people who reside in urbans and cities own bank accounts, and use more online transactions than physical one. It is also very common now to see people spend more time on computers, especially mobile phones doing different things. While using these computers, they sometimes give out many personal information such as date of birth, national identity number, bank verification number known as BVN, password and codes. Criminals in cyberspace are always hunting for this sort of information. When they have them; the owner’s identity will be stolen; theft and other crimes will be committed against such owners.

Every act of fraud (that is, crime) thrives on weak controls which is called opportunity. With this in mind, the dark web guys (the criminals) prowl on cyber space; spying, hunting, exploiting and experimenting with many of the weak links. Oftentimes, they are successful. To avoid being a victim of identity theft see below; a few recommended guidelines.

• Use 2-factor authentication in all online accounts, including social media.
• Avoid accessing shared links from strangers + reconfirm shared links from a known sender.
• Avoid use of public wifi; if you must, do not use personal information while there.
• Avoid sharing personal information publicly on social media.
• You may wish to patronize software which provides security protection against identity theft.
• Do not rush to contribute to “social media solicitations” from your circle seeking help for emergency or other issue – make voice calls to the solicitor for confirmation.
• Do not share personal information or “sent code/pin” to those who would call on phone and claim to be agents from your bank or financial service provider.
• Do not disclose or click a shared link/code/pin from strangers who would claim to be “Admin” from a WhatsApp group you belong to. Call the Admins to reconfirm.
• Do not rush to send money to persons who would call you and claim there is “serious health emergency” involving your friend or family member. Request name and address of the hospital handling such emergency – if given, send some nearby whom you know to go for physical confirmation, otherwise ignore.
• Maintain situational awareness (that is, alertness) at all times.

Identity theft is real. It is very common in cyber space where contemporary presence is more dominant.

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About Author

Azubuike Nwenewo

is a seasoned Security Practitioner; Police Officer, Security Coach, Blogger and Author. He is passionate about peacebuilding and value protection. He is an advocate for positive peace and demilitarization. He likes reading and writing.

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