by Dave Moore, 4-26-20
The wise sage once told me, “Dave, nobody will believe you until they feel the pain.” They were right; problem is, way too many people are feeling the pain. It shouldn’t be that way, but it is.
Take no comfort, though, in the fact that New York, California and Texas are worse off than Oklahoma. According to a new highly-authoritative (that means real experts, not just basement-bound blogging blowhards) study released by Wakefield Research, Webroot and Carbonite, New York, California and Texas are the top three riskiest states when it comes to Internet safety and cybersecurity. Sadly, though, Oklahoma is the fifteenth riskiest state, which, in the big picture of things, isn’t too far behind the leaders.
The study found that 25% of all of-age Oklahomans have been identity theft victims. This is a terrible record. That means that 25% of Oklahomans have had their names, addresses, usernames, passwords, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, phone numbers, email addresses, bank accounts, savings accounts, investment accounts, online shopping accounts, credit card accounts, you name it, exploited by identity theft criminals.
If you don’t know what all this “identity theft” craziness is about, read my six-part series titled “New Scams and Identity theft” parts 1-6, printed in the Norman Transcript February 23, and the six weeks following. You need to catch up, learn how to be safe, and avoid becoming another embarrassing Okie statistic.
When it comes to good “cyber-hygiene,” 58% of Oklahomans get a grade of either D or F. Only 13% get an A. Why is that? Let’s look at some of the reasons why people pass or fail.
The study looked at items, such as: do you back up your data? Have you ever lost a device or discarded a device without wiping the data first? Have you had your identity stolen? Do you even know? Do you know how to find out? Have any of your Internet-connected devices (desktop/laptop computers, phones, tablets) ever had a virus or other malware? Have you ever been a victim of a phishing email? Do you know what a phishing email is?
Do you use antivirus software? Do you know the name of your antivirus software? Do you tell other people your passwords? Do you use the same password for more than one account? Do you know how to keep your social media activities private? Do you follow at least five cybersecurity “best practices?”
None of the items listed here are particularly difficult to take care of; they just have to be done and paid attention to. In the world of professional cybersecurity and Internet safety, tending to these items is called “due care” and “due diligence.”
The Wakefield study details some of the problems identity theft victims complained about. They include: misuse of credit card/debit card/ATM card; private information stolen; social media accounts misused; creation of new debt such as a loans and mortgages; criminals took control of bank accounts; credit (FICO) scores declined; tax returns stolen; medical records stolen.
If the idea of being victimized by ruthless Internet crime cartels does not appeal to you, it’s time to wake up, pay attention, circle the wagons and become part of the solution.
Dave Moore has been fixing computers in Oklahoma since 1984. Founder of the non-profit Internet Safety Group Ltd., he also teaches Internet safety community training workshops. He can be reached at 405-919-9901 or www.internetsafetygroup.com