What I am going bring forward isn’t anything new but it surely is a quick reminder in between all the leaks and hacks that we read about in our everyday news. Sony comes up some day with the news of thousands of their accounts being hacked. We might ignore such news till they do not affect us but we should take care otherwise the day when they will hurt us it surely will pain!

Change Passwords Regularly

Well, an hour back a friend of mine was sitting along shocked to see Gmail tell him that his account was accessed from Brazil. He instantly changed his passwords and told me that he did it after almost 2 years. Never do that!

Use Complex Passwords

I agree, it is tough to remember a password which has $,~,% and other weirdo characters but it ain’t impossible. If you cannot remember such passwords then how about writing them down somewhere, safely?

Do Not Repeat Passwords

You got an account with Gmail, Yahoo, and almost every other website. Right? It will be easy to have a common password for all but how about using a variation for all? Will makes things just a bit tougher for those who are stalking your online identity.

Use Different Cars For Different Activities

It is suggested that you use one credit card for online activities and save another for other activities. This way you will know if your credit card for “offline” purchases is being used somewhere. Also, keep a check on your card bills, please!

Never Link Debit Card With Primary Account

This is very important! Never link your Debit Card with the account that has all your money. If it is compromised then at least all your money won’t be drained off. Makes sense?

Same Goes For PayPal

Just like your Debit Card, even your PayPal can be compromised. How about using a bank account that has barely any amount of it with your PayPal? It surely won’t create issues in case your PayPal is compromised.

Call Support and Freeze ASAP

They do get compromised. We know it. Credit Cards are being compromised every day and it becomes tough for users to save ourselves from such frauds. If you think your identity was compromised then please do call support ASAP and freeze your card. Saves you from further damages.

Update AntiVirus Regularly

Better do that. There might be few out there who do not use Anti Virus assuming that they are smart enough (like me) but please don’t take such risks. People like me are fools! Always have an anti-virus and firewall installed on your machine and update them regularly.

Stay Offline and Stay Smart

Here comes the obvious part. I agree that almost everything has gone online and it is tough to stay away from such stuff but you got to try. Avoid using online purchases whenever you can and stay intact. You might just save few extra dollars.

And … use a VPN as often as you can!