Create false profiles in your name and with your photos on social networks to impersonate you, use your identity in the event of an offense or misdemeanor causing fines and problems with the law, access your bank accounts and to your payment methods… Identity theft wreaks havoc on the internet and it is very difficult to get out of this kind of situation. But it is possible to guard against it.
The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) has released a new report alerting to the upsurge in online identity theft reports, which have reached an all-time high in recent months. The Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty qualifies identity theft as the use of personal data specific to identifying you without your consent. “Once stolen, this information can be used by usurpers to damage your reputation, conduct financial transactions or commit wrongdoing in your name”, warns Bercy. This is why it is essential to protect yourself against these identity theft attempts, which are more and more numerous and developed.
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Social networks, bank accounts, payment solutions…
According to the ITRC, cybercriminals primarily target tax accounts, bank accounts, payment accounts, social media accounts, job center accounts and driver’s license accounts. 55% of identity crimes reported to the agency result from compromised credentials and 40% from misuse of user login credentials. 61% of victims report having their account taken over, while 32% denounce the creation of a new account by a crook, based in particular on information publicly available on the Internet.
The criminals managed to adapt their tactics to deceive users’ vigilance. They have honed their social engineering skills to better persuade people to share their personal data. Fraudsters are also more frequently misusing stolen data through data breaches. Social security numbers are particularly prized for obtaining employment or concealing their identity from the authorities when committing crimes.
Among the most reported scams in 2022, government impersonation ranks high. Hackers impersonate a government institution or an organization like the CNIL to trick users. Lotto and other gambling tricks or impersonating a legitimate company such as PayPal or your telephone company are also methods favored by fraudsters.
What to do in case of identity theft?
If you are a victim of identity theft, expect a long process to see the end of the tunnel. The first reflex to have is to collect all the elements proving the offense (screenshots, URLs of the pages concerned, supporting documents, etc.), teaches us the site of the Ministry of the Interior.
Once in possession of these documents, you can notify the site or sites on which the identity theft took place to request the deletion of the information or false accounts concerning you. “You are also entitled to lodge a criminal complaint with a police station, a gendarmerie or the public prosecutor”says the government.
You can be accompanied in your steps by certain organizations, listed on the site cybermalveillance.gouv.fr. But the safest option that will make your life much easier is to make sure you don’t become an easy target and make it difficult for identity thieves by protecting your data.
Protect against identity theft with Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection
No one is immune to identity theft. Information retrieved from social networks, phishing, data leaks… There are many possibilities for stealing your information and using it to harm you. Even if you take your precautions, your data can end up in the wild through no fault of your own. We remember, for example, the recent cases of health data leaks from the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), or the data breach targeting the RATP. Public administrations, health establishments, your company, online services for which you have an account… all record and store your data and are likely to leak it following an attack or security negligence.
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An interesting tool not to be taken aback is Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection. This feature monitors your data (email addresses, bank account numbers, identity information, medical records…) in real time on the internet, including on the dark web, to ensure that your personal information has not leaked. If this is the case, you are automatically notified and immediately know what type of data is concerned. You can then take quick action to prevent this information from being exploited and protect your identity. Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection walks you through this process step-by-step to ensure that you take all necessary steps to prevent identity theft.
You also access a dashboard providing a 360° view of all your personal data available on the web. This overview of your digital footprint makes it easy to identify what your sensitive data is and where it resides. Even traces of services that you no longer use, but whose data is still present, are displayed.
Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection is fully automatic and does not require any manipulation on your part. You don’t even need to install any software to benefit from its capabilities. The first year of use is billed at 35.88 euros, the equivalent of only 2.99 euros per month. It is also possible to subscribe to the monthly offer. Thanks to the 30-day money-back guarantee, you can try the service without taking any risk, your money is returned to you if you are not convinced.
To improve the security of your accounts and personal data, Bitdefender also offers a complete antivirus suite, a password manager and a VPN service, all in one subscription.
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This article is a publication sponsored by Bitdefender.