Multiple Choice

From out of the blue .... a friend asked me this question: If given this chance ... what would you like to have from a friend, your parents, or your partner?

a. the key of his room

b. the land titles, bank accounts, and pieces of jewelry in his locker

c. the password of his email ad, google or Facebook accounts

d. the one-time PIN number of his credit card or ATM

e.  his thumb access for his Android or iPad

f. his numerical code in his electronic financial transactions

Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), passwords, and usernames are undisclosed and confidential ... and anybody who has these sensitive pieces of information can access somebody's financial account, cellphone messages, and private emails. 

Once illegally obtained, the information the hacker has fished will serve as a snapshot ... providing a comprehensive picture of one's financial situation.  Or the cyberpunk will know the juiciest gossip there is in somebody's personal life.

What is worse is when he upgrades his activities when he engages in identity theft ... a crime when impostors obtain key pieces of personal information (driver's license, passports, Social Security) to impersonate somebody else. And then later, he uses this opportunity to steal money and drain the victim's savings account with lots of money.

Aside from theft and fraud, the philser's invasion of privacy can also have a tremendous impact on the victim's privacy and safety. For instance, if an individual's log-in access is compromised, someone will have an open-door policy to their personal messages, Twitter accounts, and other intimate and classified information.

I almost sound like a broken record reminding everybody how imperative it is to keep and not share our PINs and passwords with anybody. Passwords need to be unique and strong. This can be done by using an alloy of letters and numbers ... or a hodgepodge of uppercase and lowercase letters and characters. You should be creative in choosing a unique passphrase and don't succumb to one password-fits-all mentality when you have multiple accounts. This way, if one of your accounts is compromised, your other accounts remain secure. It is also a good habit to change your password routinely.

Lastly ... you always have to be on guard with suspicious emails and messages especially those soliciting money. It is just a ploy to steal from you ... personal and financial information.