by Mike Wever

Created on: October 23, 2008   Last Updated: February 04, 2012

It is becoming increasingly important these days to know how to avoid online identity theft. There is a huge array of online identity theft scams out there, but they all have one thing in common. You can defeat every one of them using common sense and a little bit of discretion.

A common method of online identity theft scam, often referred to as phishing, begins with an official-looking email from an online company. You are often told that your account has been disabled because some information is missing or there has been some suspicious activity. A link in the email will direct you to a page that looks legitimate but is actually set up to steal your information.

If you receive an email that asks you to log in to a site and verify any of your account information, do not click on any link or call any phone number listed in that email. Open up a new web browser window and type in the address to the website yourself. If you need to call, find the company's customer service number in the phone book or on their web site.

Online purchases are another place where it is easy to fall victim to identity theft. Using a service like Paypal can provides a little bit of insurance because you don't have to provide your credit card number directly to the web site. If you do need to enter your credit card information on a web site, look for seals from authentication companies such as

TRUSTe or GeoTrust.

The seal for an authentication company is a good sign, but they can be faked. If you see these seals and still have doubts, check up and make sure the website you're visiting really has been authenticated.

For general protection, learn to think twice before you give out any personal information online.

When signing up at a website, provide the bare minimum of information they require. Then ask yourself why the website owners need to know the information they do require. If you aren't comfortable giving that site the information they want, consider going to another site with the same type of functionality.

Avoiding online identity theft does not require special software or extensive training.

All it takes are healthy doses of skepticism and caution. The best way to keep your identity safe it to be aware of who you are giving it out to and why.

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