Imagine you are sitting by the pool and enjoying chatting through the Internet. Or lounging in the Jacuzzi listening to your MP3 collection is appealing to us all. Unfortunately, many, or even most, wireless units don't come with security features already functioning. This may not seem like a big issue to someone who is simply setting up a home network, but there are a number of potential problems you should consider.
Identity theft seems to be the most serious problem. If your network is unsecured, the personal data on your wireless electronic equipment is also unsecured. The order you just placed for a book at Amazon may have given your contact and payment information to an unscrupulous hacker! Nearly every town in which "WiFi" is common will have "War Drivers" and "War Chalkers" at work. These are people who walk or drive around town with wireless equipment, searching for unsecured networks. The "Chalkers" then live up their name, marking curbs and other public items with chalk so that others can more easily find and exploit your network.
In fact, not all "War Drivers" are hackers, of course. Many just want to use your network for free, but the risk is high if you don't learn how to protect yourself. You can usually find quite a bit of free information as to how to secure your network at the website of your router's manufacturer, or by doing a search in a search engine for a phrase like "secure home wireless."
In addition, there are also your neighbors who may find your network by accident and enjoy nosing into your activities and using your Internet access at will, slowing down your network speed in the process.
Even many businesses use cheap, home-use quality equipment for their company networks. With the poor security often found on small business networks, anyone with a basic knowledge of wireless can access sensitive company and customer data.
It is highly recommended that you hire service companies to secure your network for you, or else you will have to bear with a risk of being exploited. A search of your local yellow pages or an inquiry at your neighborhood computer store should yield professional help and get your private data private again.
If you have good financial habits such as paying your bill on time, paying your credit card balance in full, have regular saving and so forth, your credit score may still be lower than what you expected. While it is possible that it is due to some small financial mistake or oversight you have made in the past, it is possible that you are victim of identity theft.
Identity theft is a form of crime in which unscrupulous people take your personal information and use that information to pose as you. This enables them to apply for credit cards or loans using your identity. Since they have no intention of paying back the money, you are stuck with the large debts and a poor credit score.
Some identity theft experts can even steal your PIN for your bank accounts. They will access your private bank accounts and steal your money using wire transfer.
There are many things you can do to prevent identity theft. One of them is to check your bank and credit card account statements carefully each month. You should keep all the receipts for every transaction you made during the month. Then match them against the entries in your bank statements. You should report any suspicious activities or charges you don't recognize to the banks or credit card companies immediately or as soon as you can.
It is advisable to keep a copy of all the contact numbers of all the financial institutions you deal with. This is very useful for reporting loss of your credit cards or ATM cards.
In addition, you should also check your credit report regularly, preferably at least once every six months. If there is any new credit accounts that you do not recognize, you must immediately submit a dispute to the credit bureaus.
If you have been the victim of identity theft, report the matter to the police quickly and get a police statement. Send copies of this statement to your banks and credit card companies. You should also send a copy to each of the credit bureaus. Get them to attach the police statement to your credit report.
You should also consider closing your accounts and reopen new ones. If this not feasible, you should change the PIN for your bank accounts and password for Internet banking accounts. For credit cards, you can call up the credit card companies and request them to issue new cards to you.
Identity theft is here to stay and you should do everything you can to prevent it from happening to you.
Both George Williams & Stephen Chua are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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