AP9 Articles

Privacy MattersSM Reminds Consumers About the Do’s and Don’t of Password Safety

Privacy Matters, a leading security and privacy membership program from Adaptive Marketing LLC^®, prompts its members and all consumers alike to create safe passwords for their online accounts. The damage an online hacker can do to someone’s life once his or her password has been decoded is infinite.

These hackers don’t even need high-tech tools to guess the passwords. Once they have access to a computer, all the stored files and family photos can give them the clues to simply guess by trial and error. That’s why Privacy Matters encourages consumers to go beyond the pet names and birth dates when deciding which passwords to use for online accounts.

Here are some valuables do’s and don’ts of password security, from PrivacyMatters:

Do:

-- Create an atypical mix of characters. The possibilities of creating a unique password are endless. Choose a sonorous word, or perhaps one in another language, and change it by replacing letters for special characters such as %, @ or &. Adding a couple of uppercase letters will also make it more difficult to decipher.

-- Use a pass phrase. If a made-up word isn’t easy to remember, try using the first letter from each word of a sentence. Think of a famous line from a movie, a poem or a song. For example, “Say hello to my little friend,” from the 1983 movie “Scarface,” will be something like: shtmlf1983. To make it more difficult to decode, use some other tips from this list: $htm!f1983 or 19$Htm!f83, etc.

-- Create different passwords. Ideally, online travelers should have a different password for each application or site, especially for those that involve financial and personal information. The longer the password, the more time hackers have to spend decoding it, suggests Privacy Matters. Experts recommend a minimum of six letters and at least one number.

-- Change passwords frequently. Passwords should be changed every 30 to 90 days and should not be reused for at least a year.

-- Employ technology. There are password management tools in the market that are easy to install and easy to use. These programs maintain a list of user names and passwords in encrypted form, to increase the security of all personal information.

Don’t:

-- Use family names or nicknames. Personal information should be banned from all passwords. Information thieves can easily guess pets’ name, special dates and others.

-- Utilize single words. Hackers can try with every word on the English dictionary until they find the one that will “open the door” to all the information they need. Even if the chosen one is in another language, it should be changed drastically by using numbers or other characters on the keyboard.

-- Be so obvious. Using the same user name and password for one site or creating passwords based on keyword layout are simply “Internet rookie” mistakes. These are some of the patterns hackers try first before moving on to more complicated tactics.

Privacy Matters helps members manage, monitor and protect their personal credit information. Continuous access to their credit report and scores, at the click of a button, is another advantage of a membership in PrivacyMatters.

Privacy Matters 1-2-3SM Says Practice Online Banking Safety Every Day

Privacy Matters 1-2-3, a leading security and privacy membership program from Adaptive Marketing LLC^®, reminds its members that online banking safety has never been more important. With online thieves waiting for any opportunity to swipe banking and other personal information and spin it into instant profit, PrivacyMatters123 offers its members valuable tips to improve online banking security.

Computer hackers, identity thieves and other online miscreants can certainly be called "lowlifes," yet the folks at PrivacyMatters 123 know that they're anything but stupid. In fact, the art of "making something out of nothing" seems to have been perfected by these resourceful opportunists. Why spend time and energy "working" when it's easier just to make money ripping off the bank codes and passwords of others? Right?

That's why Privacy Matters 1-2-3 offers these watchwords and safeguards, designed to keep personal banking and financial information with its rightful owners:

-- Keep it private. The thing about public computers is that they're usually crawling with online thieves, those same people who can convert careless mistakes into big bucks instantly. So to beat hackers at their own game, don't make financial transactions on public computers, many of which may be located in libraries and full-service copy facilities. Also, try to avoid using wireless service when doing banking business. When in doubt, stick to a private, home computer.

-- Go with a middleman. When making purchases online, try to avoid using debit cards, and consider using credit cards instead. Better to have a middleman like an established credit card company between an online thief and a personal checking account. Besides, many credit card companies offer no-liability fraud protection as part of their service.

-- Don't get rooked. Online scams are so feared because they've been proven to work. Just ask the millions of people who get ripped off every year providing sensitive financial information to phony online bank operations. If a financial institution sends an e-mail relating to some sort of "urgent problem" with a bank account, use caution before relinquishing any information. It could be a trap.

-- Mix 'em up. Don't use the same user ID and passwords at different banks and other financial institutions. If a thief grabs one password that works the same for all accounts --- including any accounts with online merchants --- then he's got them all. So mix things up.

For these and other handy credit, identity theft and financially-oriented tips, finding help is as easy as PrivacyMatters123.

Privacy Matters 1-2-3SM Says Listen to the Credit Experts: Haste Makes Waste

Privacy Matters 1-2-3, a leading security and privacy membership program from Adaptive Marketing LLC^®, tells its members that paying close attention to credit scores and credit history has never been more important. In fact, Privacy Matters 1-2-3 urges members to listen to the credit experts — your credit score can ultimately be the most important three-digit number in your life.

Fairly or unfairly, banks, landlords and lending institutions put a tremendous amount of weight on your credit score. Your “credit worthiness” — which determines your ability to get a home mortgage, rent an apartment or town house or get some other large loan — depends on that three-digit credit score. With today’s average scores holding steady at about 670 (with 600 generally considered good and 700 or higher considered excellent), knowing where you stand credit-wise is important — especially if you are poised to try to buy a home or secure a car loan, reports PrivacyMatters123.

Privacy Matters 1-2-3 reminds its members that a better credit score can depend on several different factors. The following are a few important thoughts to keep in mind when dealing with credit:

-- Set your watch by it. One thing is certain when it comes to credit matters: Being late on payments is a major “no-no.” So when it comes to your bills, be organized, and pay attention to payment due dates. Being late or skipping a payment will definitely damage your credit score.

-- Do the math. There is an unwritten rule in the credit game, sometimes referred to as the 20/10 Rule. When it comes to credit card bills, for example, it’s not smart to let credit debt exceed 20% of yearly income tax. On a more regular basis, try to ensure that you have less than 10% of your monthly income tied up in credit bills. It’s simple math, yes … but financial problems might not be so simple if credit debts begin to mount.

-- Up the ante. Not only do credit companies like it when bills are paid on time, some may even reward you when they receive payments that exceed the minimum amount due. Paying more than the minimum may help keep down finance charges, and with finance charges approaching 20%, every little bit helps.

-- Speak now or forever hold your lease. A good credit score won’t guarantee an outstandingly low home mortgage rate, but you DON’T want to consider the alternative. When it comes to home buying — and any disputable credit issue, for that matter — it’s your legal right to argue credit negatives. Since you are what your credit says you are, check your credit report frequently, and make sure it’s error-free. If you don’t speak up on behalf of your credit, no one else will.

For these and other handy credit tips, finding help is as easy as PrivacyMatters123.