Prevent Identity Thieves from Stealing your New Car
by Steve Cypher on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009Don’t allow identity thieves to steal the down payment for your new car this tax season.
It’s more than just the money
Here at Auto Credit Express, we think that using your income tax refund for the down payment on a new car is a great idea. Of course, we’re in the car business so why wouldn’t we think that way? Besides, buying a new car would not only help our business, it would help the entire economy. But no matter what you plan on using your tax refund for, we also want to maker sure that, number one, you get your refund and, number two, you don’t share your personal information with one of the many identity thieves out there determined to find out everything from your social security number to your bank account and personal financial records and use it to steal your identity so they can do everything from empty your bank account to apply for credit cards in your name.
That’s why we were particularly interested in a recent press release from DigitalPersona, a California-based company that specializes in fingerprint identity solutions. And while the company would certainly like you to buy their software and hardware solutions to combat this problem, the press release also contained some common sense tips that can you with all your online accounts both during and after income tax season. Here they are:
• Use strong, unique passwords for all your online accounts. Having a single password for multiple sites increases your risk of identity theft. Not sure how secure your passwords are? At-a-glance password rating systems will let you know in moments whether you are truly protected.
• Safely keep track of passwords, especially those that aren’t used very often. Don’t write them down on “sticky notes” or leave them in an unprotected file on your computer. Today’s cyber thieves specifically search files and the places where browsers store “remembered” passwords.
• Ensure that only you can use your passwords by tying them to your fingerprint. Fingerprint readers are already available on over 30 percent of laptops and can be easily added to any PC.
• Protect against phishing attacks hidden behind false tax preparation or bank Web pages. Look for “hacker proof” or “secured” symbols on the Web site before logging on.
• Encrypt important personal files, such as tax returns or other sensitive documents, to safeguard against hacking attempts.
• Keep all anti-virus, malware, and other computer security products up to date to remain on top of the latest Trojan, “keyloggers” and other threats.
• Secure yourself, not just your PC. Seek out software that specifically protects you when your personal identity information is handed to authorized Web sites.
“The recession has led to an unprecedented increase in identity theft and phishing activity, making this tax season a time when we all need to take extra care of our online identities,” said Jim Fulton, vice president of marketing at DigitalPersona. “Our complete financial lives are handed over to Web-based tax preparation sites, which do take strong measures to keep information secure. But, it is up to each of us to keep this confidential data safe on our own PCs and to protect our online tax accounts against hackers.”
The Bottom Line
As previously stated, we think using your tax refund to buy a car, especially with all the current manufacturer incentives, through Auto Credit Express is a great idea right now. But no matter what you plan on using it for, we want to make sure that you get it. By following the steps outlined by DigitalPersona, you’ll be able to enjoy your refund and, at the same time, guard your personal information against identity theft.
