Outsmart Scammers: Protecting Your Privacy Online

With the amount of time we are spending time online these days, it’s apparent that the web has become an important resource for our society. Whether shopping, keeping up with current events or staying in touch with friends and family, there are many benefits that you are getting from going online. It probably never occurred to you that you might be leaving something behind. Some sites may ask you for personal information to create an account, or to verify your identity, but according to the experts at the National Consumers League, your information may also be used by that site for marketing or other purposes. They may even be sharing your information with other sites. Your information might be freely available and accessible through a simple search done by anyone with an internet connection–including potential thieves and scammers.

So how can you start to get your privacy back? There are many sites on which your information might appear, and each site varies in terms of how to remove your name. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse has made available a list of many of these sites along with detailed instructions for removing yourself from their databases.

It’s always a good idea to pay attention to the privacy policy of any website that requests your information. These will tend to vary by site, but reading their privacy policy is important so that you can find out how your information will be used, including whether or not they share your information with others.

Check out the National Consumers League’s site for more tips on how to gain some control over information that you want to keep private. And check out our series, Outsmart Scammers, right here at the AMW Safety Center for advice on how to protect yourself from fraudulent threats online and offline.