Social Engineering
Social Engineering is an art that is practiced by someone who will try to gain your trust through dishonest means. They will try to “help” you or ask you for help and to become your new “friend”. You must keep your guard up at all times. If someone asks you for your password, Social Security Number, account pin numbers, or for any other type of sensitive information, question them on it. Ask them why they need that information. First of all, you should never give your password to anyone. You could get a phone call at work from someone stating that they just started and need help accessing their system account. They may even mention a manager’s name to make you believe they are a legitimate employee.
There are still some banks that will ask you for your entire Social Security Number over the phone. Tell them you will only give them the last 4 digits. See if they will agree to that. If not, tell them that the government is advising people not to give out that type of information over the phone and see if they are willing to change their policy.
Not too long ago, I had a mechanic at a fast oil change facility ask me for my pin number on my debit card because he did not want to hand me the remote keypad.
Would you have complied with his request?
Unfortunately we live in a time where we have to protect our personal information in everything we do. Identity theft can happen at any time and it doesn’t matter where you are.
Social Engineering Tips:
The only protection against social-engineering attacks is through education and training. Here are several important points to address or manage when assembling a barrier to social engineering attacks:
- If anything sounds out of place or strange, err to the side of caution.
- Always demand proof of identity over the phone and in person. Verify the ID by calling the proper authority or issuing company.
- Assign a number for the different types of your personal information, such as social security numbers, phone numbers, dial-in accounts, user names, passwords, network addresses, etc. The greater the number, the higher the security around those items should be maintained.
- If someone requests privileged information, find out why they want it and whether they are authorized to obtain it.
- Dispose of sensitive documents securely, such as shredding or incinerating. Dumpster diving often provides social-engineering attackers with the kernels of information they need to wedge their way in.
- Never give out or change any of your passwords over the phone.
Unfortunately, you have to be vigilant at all times when it comes to your personal information. If you happen to work at a financial institution such as a bank or credit union, you also have to protect your customer’s private information as well. The worst case scenario for online threats is Identity Theft. This is one of the main reasons for protecting your family while they are online. The other reasons would include protecting your children from online predators and stalkers.
ID theft happens when someone gains access to your personal information such as credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, and any other personal information that would allow them to commit fraud or other more serious crimes using your personal information to hide their true identity.
If you suspect that this has happened to you, review the following steps;
- Close all compromised credit card accounts immediately. Contact your bank to see if it is necessary to freeze your current bank account or if it is okay to just change your password. Make sure your bank will monitor your accounts for possible fraud.
- Call the toll-free phone numbers of any one of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies to put an initial fraud alert on your credit reports. This might prevent someone from getting a new credit card in your name. The numbers and addresses are listed below;
1. Experian: 888-397-3742 / www.experian.com / P.O. Box 2002, Allen TX 75013
2. Equifax: 800-525-6285 / www.equifax.com / P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
3. TransUnion: 800-680-7289 / www.transunion.com / Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790 Fullerton CA 92834-6790
- After you put an initial fraud alert on your credit report, it should stay there for 90 days. You should wait about 1 month before you order a new credit report because some fraudulent activity may not show immediately. Check to make sure all of your personal information is correct on the new report.
- Use new passwords on any new accounts that you open.
- Avoid using your mother’s maiden name, your date of birth, the last four digits of your Social Security number, your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers in your new password.
- Make sure you are receiving all of your billing statements on time.
- If your personal information has been stolen, make sure you also file a report with your local police department, and also report it to the Federal Trade Commission.
Providing ways to protect your online business while you are accessing the Internet. For more information go to http://www.dmdagency.com/protection
Tags: dishonesty, Identity Theft, password, personal information, scam, sensitive, Social Engineering
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