Protecting Yourself Online

Hackers abound - make sure to protect yourself against them and be extra cautious with your accoutns. Here's how:

A few days ago, my PayPal account was hacked along with my 57 dollars. That translates to roughly 2K in Philippine money and considering the economy today, it’s a big deal.

I still don’t know how it happened since I haven’t accessed any other sites lately. I figured it must be from a bug after that ONE time I used my USB at the internet café. It’s a bit traumatizing, especially since I’ve come to rely on PayPal to protect sensitive information for me. As someone who works on the internet, I’ve been pretty aware of how much it happens, I just didn’t think it would happen to ME. And with online shopping being the norm today, I figured a lot of people are at risk. Hence, if you shop online, use your credit card or release any sensitive information online, you might want to read these first.

Use a VCC

A Virtual Credit Card is better than an actual Credit Card when verifying your PayPal. I know lots of people say PayPal is safe – but it’s not perfect. Get that extra layer of protection for yourself.

HTTP versus HTTPS

Do you know what that “s” stands for? It’s “secure” and websites that have this on their URL mean that any information sent through the site remains confidential.

Avoid Suspicious Emails

There will be times when you get an email from "PayPal" or "Citibank" or some other account asking you to verify your account. They will then provide a link that you must click in order to proceed with the verification process. DON'T DO THIS. Instead, open up a new browser and directly type the site you intend to visit. In most cases, emails like these are designed to obtain your password by leading you to a fake site.

Change Passwords

Having just ONE password for all your accounts would be like asking the hacker to come calling. Keep in mind that you are only safe if no one decides to attack you. Hence, be extra vigilant. Use a different password for your FB, your Twitter, your PayPal and your emails. In fact, use a different password every month.

Try deleting your cookies as much as possible. Never use your debit card in online transactions and shop only in domains that you trust.

If you DO get hacked – it’s not the end of the world. The MINUTE you realize you’ve been compromised, contact your BANK and PayPal immediately and let them know what happened. This is especially true for those who are using their real CC instead of a VCC. Your bank will only decline any charges made AFTER they are informed of the theft. BEFORE that, chances are they will expect you to pay. And hackers are never thrifty when spending.

Hopefully, what happened to me won’t happen to you.

Photo courtesy of techmynd.com