Eve Sersic
Find out how to avoid cyberstalkers and scammers on the internet
The digital age has made it increasingly easy to share and broadcast personal information on the web. Apps like Instagram¹, Twitter², Facebook³, or Snapchat⁴ allow and even encourage sharing location, phone number or personal email address, which can evidently get you into some trouble. Here are 4 ways you can stay safe on the web.
#1 Avoid posting personal information on your public social media
Though it may be tempting to let everyone know how fantastic your life is, posting hourly location check-ins might not be the smartest move. As well as being hella annoying for everyone else, it can easily lead to becoming the target of a potentially dangerous stalker. Most people probably wouldn’t think twice about posting their personal email address, mobile phone number, or even their real home address, which can cause stalkers to harass or to hack personal accounts. If the hacker is skilled enough, they could even acquire credit card numbers. So, think twice before posting that Snapchat story next time, for everyone’s sake.
#2 Google yourself regularly
Keep your name and identity protected by doing a quick google⁵ search on the Internet to help prevent the spread of false information cyberstalkers might be using you for. This is known as catfishing and it a serious offense. If you ever find photos or personal informations about yourself on a foreign website, you can contact the server administrators and have them taken down immediately.
#3 Use unique passwords for any web account
Stalkers have a number of methods of trying to hack into their victims’ account, and passwords are your first line of defense; the more elaborate they are, the better. There exists many ways to create a strong password, such as using upper and lower case letters and including numbers. Another easier and safer way to creating passwords are random password generators⁶, easily found online for free.
#4 Change your account security information once a year
By doing so, you can insure that if anyone had unfortunately gotten ahold of your personal information, they will lose access to it. However, if you have any suspicion that someone might have infiltrated one of your accounts, change your password immediately. That way, the user will be logged off and will hopefully be unable to log back on.
#5 Seek the help of private investigators
This may seem like a drastic way of dealing with a cyberstalker, but if you feel unsafe or threatened in any way it is better to put a stop to the situation before it causes permanent damage to your or a loved one’s life. Stalking, even virtually, is a serious offense and should always be reported to law enforcement.
URL
[6]https://passwordsgenerator.net/
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