Who's Spying on you now?
Good Morning to you all! This weekend I heard a pretty scary story from another client who is the victim of someone using her private emails and records against her after hacking into her computer files with what is called a "bot". It is an evasive program that can be implanted on your computer and will give the user access to all your personal files. I highly recommend everyone who uses the computer to make sure you have virus and malware protection installed on your computer and make use of a good "firewall" protection program. Most new computers have firewalls installed but some of the older computers do not. It is important that you update your computer protection on a regular basis. Having a virus program is important but having a good defense against malware is doubly important right now. Identity theft is a real big problem right now and it is getting much more prevalent. It is important to take precautions.
There has been a lot said lately about how we as Advisor's should post our real names and identities on Keen websites because we owe our clients that much but I disagree. We owe our clients an honest reading without any scams involved and if they have a complaint about our services they should have the freedom to leave feedback or contact Keen for a refund but I do not think we need to reveal our personal history to our clients. It is just not prudent to do so anymore.
I thought that I would resubmit a blog that I created some time ago and once again put out the warning that it pays to be vigilent about your privacy for nothing is sacred on the internet.
Imagine if you will that you have met a new guy and he seems so nice. You date him for a few weeks and begin to notice that he has a few quirks that are noticeable. He is becoming possessive, overly jealous and beginning to really scare you. You break it off with him and you decide to move to a new location and get your telephone number changed. He really was persistent and did not want to give up pursuing you.
Now imagine this guy you just dumped is at his home on the computer with a pen and paper. Using only your name which he already knows, he is able to obtain your new address, new phone number and most important...your birthdate from a website he visits. The website will also provide him with a picture of your new home, a satellite photo of the neighborhood, and MapQuest directions right to your door. He goes to another website and he gets a list of your relatives and their ages. He even gets their addresses, birthdates and where they live.
There are several websites, all accessible to the public, which provides all that information for free.
There are legal sites like www.usa-people-search.com and www.ZabaSearch.com that provide a mix of public records and generate a list of possible matches. These public records can come from something as simple as a change of address form filed at the post office or a voter's registration card.
We live in a world where you cannot return clothes to a store or enter a building without someone scanning your driver’s license. We live in a world where identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes. We also live in a world where an ex-boyfriend or husband will kill you because they cannot be with you. Murder/Suicides are very common lately. The victims are not always married and have only dated the other person for a short while. Some of the victims are teenagers, which is extremely disturbing. This is why I was very alarmed when I learned about sites like ZabaSearch. It not only places the public at risk for identity theft, it also threatens the safety of women, especially victims of domestic violence and/or stalkers.
One in every 12 women is stalked in her lifetime. Online databases makes stalking easy. These websites/search engines are very dangerous and stalkers know about them and how to use them. If you get a magazine subscription or if you own a car then all this information eventually ends up on the internet for all to see.
Updating your voter's registration card or your library card requires your driver's license and the last four digits of your social security number. You can chose not to do this and just show your driver's license when it is time to vote but that option is not well known or highly publicized. I have had a big argument with the public library that insisted on this information before I could check out a book.
Something has to be done and we can start by refusing to supply this information. When we are asked for our licenses, social security numbers, telephone numbers and/or addresses just ask if and why this information is necessary. If you decide to move, try to change your address directly with the companies and people who send you mail regularly. Most importantly, if you are dating someone new, be stingy about your personal information. For example, meet them somewhere else other than your home for awhile until you are comfortable with them. This is not always foolproof for you might not find out how disturbed the person is until you break up with them.
It is a crazy world especially now for women. The current stalker laws and restraining orders are not vigorously enforced and they do little to protect us. We as women are constantly fighting for rights and/or the freedom to just be. Although these people finder websites can hurt anyone, young and adult females are the ones most at risk. This scares the heck out of me sometimes especially when my daughters have joined social websites and are pretty casual about their information no matter how dangerous it has become.
I do not always want to be the one to remind them of the dangers out there but I think we must be aware and guard against others who will use our personal information in a manner we do not approve of. We can start by finding a way to challenge those websites and even Google map quest for giving out our locations to anyone who has access to a computer.
Be cautious about giving out your information. Keep records where you are required to submit personal information and write your congressman or women about changing the laws that allow websites to use this information against you.
Blessings of safety and enlightenment
Rosie
Tags: Counseling Coaching Depression
