March 5, 2014
LAS VEGAS – Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto urges consumers to be proactive in safeguarding their personal information in all transactions as they go about their daily business.
“Some consumers may not realize that the personal information provided on social networking sites can make them vulnerable to strangers and potential criminals,” said Masto. “Furthermore, sensitive information in the wrong hands can have harmful results for the consumer. Consumers should carefully select their privacy settings on social networking sites in order to control who can view their personal information.”
The routine monitoring of privacy settings may help increase a person’s security awareness when accessing social networking sites and forums. Parents should likewise routinely check the privacy settings on their children’s accounts and discuss the importance of internet privacy with their children.
Many individual mailboxes are unsecured and even community mailboxes are subject to vandalism. Because items of personal mail often contain credit card statements, health and prescription information, mortgage statements and phone bills, consumers are advised to check their mail daily to minimize the risk of personal records being stolen. Users should reference their web browser and e-mail security features for more information. Consumers are advised to check their accounts at least once a week for any suspicious activity.
Finally, consumers should also take advantage of their annual access to free credit reports at https://www.annualcreditreport.com. Reviewing these reports for accuracy can minimize the risk or severity of identity theft. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse offers additional tips for protecting your privacy, which can be found at https://www.privacyrights.org.
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