Why You Need to Plant Your Virtual Flag with Online Data

Staying ahead of fraudsters and internet hackers is a constant challenge for most of us. The good news is that you can proactively protect your online accounts. We encourage you to plant your virtual flag before identity thieves do it for you.

What do we mean by a ‘virtual flag?’ According to an article by Krebsonsecurity.com, the idea is to get ahead of scammers and thieves by proactively managing your online data.

One way to do this is to use set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) with your email and other online accounts. MFA is a security mechanism that requires you to provide two or more credentials in order to authenticate your identity.

Another great proactive strategy is to set up accounts at all three major credit bureaus including Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. If your personal data is compromised, you’ll be able to quickly respond so you can freeze access to your data.

We’ve included links to the three credit bureaus:

Equifax        https://my.equifax.com/consumer-registration/UCSC/#/personal-info

Experian    https://usa.experian.com/registration/?offer=at_fcras100&br=exp

TransUnion https://service.transunion.com/dss/orderStep1_form.page

If you would like to learn more about how to proactively safeguard your online data, click here to visit the Krebs article referenced.