I was speaking with a client who was talking about a process that seemed like overkill to me. When I asked why the step was taken she explained that clients are really worried about identity theft. Her serious tone brought out my belief that people are overly afraid of identity theft and she should help pass the word that identity theft is not as frequent as she thinks. So I asked her how many clients have had a problem with identity theft. She told me of a wealthy woman that spent $5,000 fixing a theft issue. I asked what website it occurred on and she said it happened before computers.

Conclusion

Computers<>Theft

Talking to Strangers = Theft

Not all strangers are this good looking.  But they will seem charming and normal.  Here are better ways to avoid getting viruses on your computer, receiving unwanted correspondence or propaganda – think fake news.

1. Think of the face behind the words on their computer.  Just as you would not tell a person on the street your address, phone number or social security number, don’t give that information to a website you just met or wasn’t introduced to by a trusted friend.
2. Change your security settings on FaceBook so the world can’t contact you.
3. Don’t respond to emails from strangers – don’t even open it unless it makes sense. If you posted something on Craigslist, be ready for strange email addresses, just as you would see strange faces at your home if you have a garage sale. Don’t panic, just be careful.
4. If a company or government agency sends you an email, try to remember when you gave them your email address.  If you can’t recall doing so, call them. Find a number on their official website.
5. If you are tempted to open an email, look at the email address.  The part after the @ sign should be a credible website. For instance “Take a look at this part time position, it’s interesting and you might be interested nbnsz732e.ristenfow.com” The link made me want to see who ristenfow was so I went to www.ristenfow.com.  The site is under construction.  It is not credible.

Ristenfow.com isn’t very credible. Do you wonder why it’s similar to Fox, Iranian Muslim and Beer?

1. Made in the USA is good.  Addresses with foreign suffixes are a red flag unless they have been introduced to you by a trusted source.  I received a job offer from supertenkaluk2016@yandex.ru.  .ru stands for Russia.  Why would a Russian Company contact a consultant/business analyst in the united states?  Turns out yandex is a website like yahoo.  Which brings us to the next point.
2. Offers from email addresses that end in .yahoo, .gmail or .live are all easily available and are not as professional as those from sites that are made for commerce.  Tread carefully and see how they may know you.

I started this post by talking about someone being a little too nervous about identity theft.  I then proceeded to tell you all sorts of ways to avoid it. That seems contradictory. My intent was to show you how to use your existing common sense in the new world of communications. The internet and electronic communications are a wonderful thing.  Enjoy them and if you would like me to speak to you or a group on this topic feel free to contact me.