Identity theft and email security breaches are things that happens to somebody else. That’s true, until you’re the unlucky one whose email security has been jeopardized and who is suddenly drowning in fraudulent charges, unauthorized transactions, and misinformation coming from your name.
What do you do? Where do you start? How do you pick up the pieces after the train wreck of an email security breach?
Believe it or not, the solution is simpler (and cheaper) than you would think.
The best line of defense against having your important information stolen is maintaining solid email security. This might sound like an expensive option, but the reality is that there are plenty of things you can be doing for free (or close to it) to ensure your account isn’t being compromised.
Let’s take a closer look at the real issues behind identity fraud, email security breaches, and cyber hacking, and then we’ll give you some straightforward, simple, and FREE tips for keeping yourself safe.
Email security 101: Sensitive Data We Bet You Keep In Your Email
You still think this’ll never happen to you, right? Because you never share, store, or provide sensitive information via the internet, right?
Take this quick quiz. It’ll only take a few seconds to show you just how vulnerable you are.
- Do you send out birthday reminders when the dates are coming?
- Have you ever forgotten to sign out of your account after using a public domain computer (even one you use at work)?
- Have you ever left a public domain computer before erasing the cache, browsing, and password history?
- Do you send out sensitive information (like credit card details, passwords, your home address, etc.) from your email account at home?
- Did you ever click an unsubscribe link for an email listing that you never signed up for (thereby potentially sending your details to a corrupt third-party)?
There aren’t too many people who could answer no to all these questions.
It’s human nature to share information, disregard “excessive” security measures, and get rid of unwanted spam. Yet, according to top IT security experts, these are the windows of opportunity hackers look for to steal your valuable information.
If you did answer yes to these questions, you need to act fast. Try LogDog Inbox Detective, a tool that will find all the sensitive material in your email (like credit card details, bank account info, passwords, Social Security numbers, etc.), so you can delete it forever.
The Detective will also let you notify contacts who have sent you emails or received emails from you that contain details that may put you at risk, so the sensitive data can be deleted on both ends.
What’s In Your Inbox?
Of course, you would never email super sensitive information like your Social Security number or credit card details (right?), but there are other hot-ticket items on the hacker black-market that you may not have thought of — and with just a click or two, a hacker can find these incriminating details in your email and drain your life savings…or worse.
Hackers will utilize anything they can get their hands on, including:
- Text passwords
- Credit card numbers
- Work documents
- Receipts for online purchases
- Travel itinerary
- Social ID number
- Tax forms
- Birthdates
- Former educational institutions attended
Cybercrooks can take seemingly meaningless information like your favorite sports team or the street you grew up on, and hack into your password protected accounts and steal your would-be-secured details in an instant.
Was Your Email Hacked?
You can check the status of your email account by reviewing the latest logins and activities on the account. There’s more about it here if you have a Yahoo! account and here if you have a Gmail, but getting your email account hacked is nothing new. Take a look:
- Typically, over 150 days pass before stolen info is detected. That’s plenty of time to do damage.
- According to a recent report, half of all American adults have been hacked. That’s close to 432 million accounts!
- If you have a friend whose account was hacked, you are 36 times more vulnerable to scams.
- Good scams will hit their mark 45% of the time.
These stats should wake you up to the reality of how common email hacking is. It’s a daily threat, and, without the right precautions, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll be next.
Be Smart, Stay Safe
So what can you do to stay safe? Here are a few tips:
- Use a super strong password. This includes numbers, symbols, and letters in upper and lowercase. Make sure it’s not an easy to guess password either.
- Never click on a link that you don’t know is 100% secure. Not sometimes. Not just if it looks sketchy. But NEVER.
- Share your personal information as infrequently as possible over the internet.
- Use two-step authentication for all your accounts.
- Scan your email with the LogDog Inbox Detective to help you search through your inbox, and delete whatever’s there.
How Much Your Personal Data is Worth
While your details are priceless to you, they actually carry a concrete price tag in the criminal world. Here’s how much your deets are really worth:
- Coveted social security numbers go for $1.
- Medical records are pricier, running $50 and upwards.
- Credit card info worth $2.
- Facebook accounts (is nothing safe?!) go for $1.
Down The Rabbit Hole
Once cybercriminals steal your details (and this can happen in under thirty minutes, by the way), they’ll sell it on the black market for a variety of nefarious tasks including:
- Making large purchases for themselves
- Spam friends with absurd or offensive content
- File tax returns or bankruptcy in your name
- Take another mortgage out on your house
- Collect government benefits in your name
Email Hacking: Know How to Protect Yourself
You know the threats, you’ve seen the numbers, and you’re aware of the risks. It’s time to protect yourself.
LogDog does that for more than 1 million accounts that are protected with the software currently. Here’s how it works:
- Sign up for the Inbox Detective, and choose an email account you want checked.
- The tool will scan your account for personal details anywhere on the account (inbox, sent messages, spam, trash).
- Receive an in-depth report explaining all vulnerabilities that were found.
- Notify your contacts about shared sensitive emails so they can delete them and help you protect yourself from identity theft (with the added bonus of simultaneously protecting themselves).
Is This REALLY Necessary?
It’s pretty obvious from the numbers that email hacking is a rampant threat plaguing the nation. Do you need an inbox scanner?
Only if you enjoy your privacy, anonymity, and personal account details being kept private. If so, it’s a resounding YES.
Get the LogDog Inbox Detective today, and rest assured your email accounts are safe
