Imagine a life without any of your familiar gadgets like cell phones, laptop computers, iPods, mp3 players and more. Can you even visualize how life would be like when these are taken away from you? I don’t.
And I firmly believe that I am not the only one who feels that way. It is my strong conviction that people CANNOT live without their gadgets because, at one point or another, life (and practically everything that we do) became easier and simpler with these equipments. What resulted then is the creation of a culture and population that is highly dependent on gadgets that is not willing to give up these gadgets because that would mean learning new habits and having a totally different life.
If you don’t want your life to be altered, then you need some sort of protection for your gadgets as identity theft criminals have their eyes on these gadgets. They will always try to steal them from you because they are treasure chests of valuable information.
1. Be as generic as possible. When you store your phone numbers into your contact or address book, keep the names broad and common. For instance, if you are going to save your husband’s name, key in your husband’s name and not as “hubby” or “sweetheart.” Avoid monikers because if the identity theft criminal cannot get your personal information, then they can access your husband’s.
2. Leave owner information blank. Most gadgets would often require you to enter some sort of owner information that would include some very personal information about yourself. Now, this can be a true treasure for identity theft criminals. If you happen to have these data in your gear or gadget, make sure that your device is always locked and protected with a password that cannot be easily guessed.
3. Avoid putting all your devices in one place. If you are travelling, avoid putting all your gadgets in one compartment or bag. Women are often guilty about this crime because they usually carry purses and they put all their devices inside. Once the purse or bag is stolen, then every device that is owned gets stolen as well. Depending on which device is stolen, a substantial amount of information will be enough to steal your identity and expose you to identity theft.
4. Inform your kids of the risks of identity theft. Kids these days have as much gadget (and even more) as their parents and as you may already know, your kid’s identity is just as valuable as yours. Their devices will contain the same information as yours and their identity is also at risk of being stolen. You have to educate them that when these devices are stolen, they can be exposed to identity theft which can significantly alter their future. Tell them that there must be some limit on the amount of personal information that they should input in their devices so that even if those are stolen, they will not put themselves in so much risk. You also have to purchase some sort of storage device for their gadgets so that you will be assured that their devices will be in their possession at all times.