FACTS

• 61.8% of all households have a computer.
• 54.7% of those households have Internet access.
• 9% of identity theft information is obtained online.
• 1 million Internet users believe they have received a phishing e-mail. (Phishing is the act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an effort to steal the user’s personal information.)
• 3.8 days is the average life span of a phishing web site.
• 2 million adult Internet users experience Internet identity fraud annually—5,479 a day.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

• Create a password that has a combination of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols for unlocking your computer and for accessing websites. Use a different password for each site.
• Never use an automatic log-in feature that saves your user name and password.
• Always log off the Internet or your computer when you’re finished.
• Avoid storing financial information on your computer.
• Find and use anti-virus software and a firewall.
• Do not open e-mails sent to you by strangers.
  • Reduce unwanted commercial email and some SPAM. (Good for five years.)
• Forward spam that is phishing for information to spam@uce.gov and to the company, bank, or organization impersonated in the phishing e-mail.
  • Avoid being scammed (for high school and college students).
  • Quiz your knowledge about wireless security.
  • Know your web terms.
• Order a free credit report every 12 months.
• Do not use a public computer or one at the library. Shared computers may inadvertently help share your credit report information with others. Only access your report online via your own computer.

YOU MATTER

The emotional impact of Internet identity fraud has been found to parallel that of victims of violent crime. Remain cyber-safe by protecting your computer as if it were your wallet. Practice safe surfing. You’ll be glad you did.