People have pretty much gotten used to spending most of their lives on the World Wide Web. They tend to forget that going online means that their personal information can be exposed to other internet users.
The trouble with being so confident in inputting your personal information on the internet is it could get into the wrong hands. Once it does, a lot of things can start going wrong. You then become susceptible to online scams.
To be more specific, here are some of the reasons why you keep your personal information and details private:
1. You Keep Scammers Away From Your Money
Many people act as if giving away their banking information to everyone they meet because they don’t hesitate to give it to any website that asks for it. It may seem harmless the first time around, but you’ll realize that they have a greater purpose behind this if you broaden your mind.
You don’t have to provide your bank details when you purchase online. If the website recommends or demands it, then you know that there is something fishy going on.
You should opt to use PayPal if you can, or any other online purchasing platform. Do not directly provide your bank details unless you are sure that the website is legit. So, how do you know?
One way of finding out is by looking at the upper portion of your browser if the site you’re visiting is secured. If it’s not, you should refrain from providing sensitive information, especially your bank information.
2. You Protect Your Online Business Reputation
Note that once you press the “post” button on social media or practically anywhere on the internet, the information you shared will remain on the web for eternity. You can delete your post, but there is already a copy of that information. Anyone who wants to access that shared information can easily access it.
It’s easy to say that no one would think about doing anything with your information to ruin you as a person. However, we see in news reports that it is quite the opposite. The internet ruined many lives and relationships. It is also because they refused to keep their private information private.
Not only can people shame you for the information that you post on the web but they can also use your information and pretend to be you. Now, what kind of motive would someone have to pretend to be somebody else? Nobody knows for sure, but it surely has something to do with identity theft.
Once a person starts to pretend to be you, he can then start to ruin your reputation. It’s bad enough that a scammer has ruined your reputation which causes adverse effects to your business.
Note that business is all about relationships and it is not impossible for your business to go down with you since nobody trusts you anymore. Identity theft will still affect you in the same degree even if you’re not an entrepreneur. Securing an employment will be crucial if you have a bad reputation.
3. You’ll Be in a Better Position in Legal Proceedings
Perhaps you’ve gotten yourself in big trouble. Your parents, friends, neighbors and even the culprit know about it. There is only one left that needs convincing: the court.
Being in a legal proceeding is already stressful in itself. There is no better way to make it worse than through previously posted statuses on social media. When the government investigates, they scrutinize not only documents and contacts but also mess with your social media accounts. They take note of those undesirable tweets or Facebook statuses which can significantly affect your chances of winning the case.
This still goes back to the importance of online reputation. There is nothing wrong with frequently updating your social media status. However, you have to draw a line between private and public information.
4. You Protect Yourself
Protecting yourself doesn’t only refer to one’s life. It can also refer to one’s self-worth or self-confidence.
Many websites will tell you how you can make a huge fortune using a simple formula. Online scammers are going to give it to you free of charge as long as you provide your personal information. The information that they will ask is usually pretty basic such as your name, email address, banking details, and other stuff like that.
Mentality often drives most people to think that “there is no harm in trying.” However, as soon as they try it, they realize that a lot of harm was done. The website didn’t give any financially satisfying information, but they did run away with lots of the victim’s money.
5. You Avoid Home Robberies
Keeping your private information private doesn’t mean you are going to prevent all types of burglaries that can happen at your place. At the very least, you’ll get to avoid certain types of frauds.
This goes back to the social media posting. People are fond of posting vacation details online. One of the biggest mistakes you can make on the internet is posting a photo of your plane ticket to Facebook or other social media.
Not only will you be giving people a general idea of when there will be no one guarding your house but you will also be allowing bad guys to steal your plane ticket. You are also giving them the privilege to refund for your ticket, which means that they’ll get your money and you’ll have nothing.
Let Yourself off the Hook
Lots of things can go wrong when you provide too much information online. There are more reasons why you have to keep your private information to yourself. The list above is only an introduction to the benefits of protecting your privacy and security.
You shouldn’t wait for undesired experiences to happen to you before you start being cautious. You have to act before it’s too late or you will lose everything you built.