5 Preventing Identity Theft Tips for Computer Users

• Keep Strangers Out
• Use Clever Passwords
• Destroy Digital Data
• Beware of Trojan Horses
• Shop Wisely Online

The Internet is here to stay. Any sensible person would not leave doors, windows and drawers open for any passerby to help themselves to private personal information. It is no different on the Internet. Keep your personal information under lock and key. If a website is asking too many personal questions before you can sign up, be cautious, do you really want to hand your personal details to a stranger...

Keep Strangers Out

Hackers are strangers who want to get into your computer. If you have a PC running Windows you can make it harder for hackers to get into your computer ensuring the Firewall is on. To do this simply 'left click' on the 'Start button', in the bottom right hand corner, then left click on 'Control Panel'. 'Double click' on 'Windows Firewall' and in the 'General' tab ensure the Firewall On button is ticked.

If you click on the link in the bottom left hand corner, there is useful information explaining about the Firewall settings in more detail.

Use Clever Passwords

Don’t use your name or your address or your phone number or a space as your password. Create strong passwords by combining numbers, upper and lower case letters, and hyphens in your password. And do not use the same password for everything.

Destroy Digital Data

When you sell, give away or otherwise dispose of a computer system, or a hard drive, make sure the data is completely, utterly and irrevocably destroyed. Simply deleting the data or reformatting the hard drive is not enough. Data can be recovered from a formatted drive.

Use A1 Computers secure data destruction service for peace of mind.

Beware of Trojan Horses

Recently Irish computers users have been phoned and told that there are problems in their computers that can be fixed over the phone. Trusting people have let unknown people log into their computer. Credit card payment has been demanded to fix the problem. Several distressed computer users have come to us whose computers and possibly data has been infiltrated in this way. Do not let anyone you do not trust have access to your computer data.

Shop Wisely Online

When shopping online make sure the company you are doing business with is legitimate and that they take the security of your personal information as seriously as you do. Before entering your credit card details make sure you can are on a secure or encrypted web site (symbolized by a small padlock at the bottom right of the screen in Internet Explorer).

To minimise putting my credit card details into multiple sites, I have set up a PayPal account and use that where possible for online shopping

ANNOUNCEMENT 1:

Your emails with computers tips you have are most welcome. Remember ‘You don’t know what you don’t know till someone tells you’. Sharing a tip, brings joy to the giver and receiver.

ANNOUNCEMENT 2:

The mothers and children’s home www.baanunrak.org is going through a tough time with the unrest in Thailand. A1 Computers owners visited Baanunrak where truly, tremendous work is being done, and since then A1 Computers helps. Baanunrak are helping feed the Burmese refugees at the border, and €10 will feed a child for a month. For June 2010 A1 Computers will donate €1 from every computer booked in for repair to this feeding program. Please let your friends know.

If your Computer or Laptop needs to fixed faster or you want to recover your Files, Photos or Music in a hurry, then please ask for the FASTTRACK Service.