Can You Make Your Laptop Identity Theft Proof?
Protecting Your Laptop From Identity Theft Criminals
It used to be that the only reason a criminal would steal a laptop was for it's resale value. Nowadays it's the identity theft criminals who make the most money from stolen laptops. Wondering how you can prevent your laptop from putting you at risk of an identity theft crime? Here are some tips to help...
Encrypt It
If your laptop is encrypted, the risk of the information on it being compromised is greatly reduced. Simple and affordable programs are available that will encrypt all of the information on your laptop with the click of a mouse. Your password unencrypts the information, so if a criminal steals your laptop and doesn't have the password to unencrypt the information, they're out of luck.
Erase Your Hard Drive
Worried that an advanced identity theft criminal could hack your laptop encryption? Then try a program like MyLaptopGPS. This laptop application allows you to “lock” your laptop if it's every stolen.
Simply install the software and if your laptop is ever stolen, report it to MyLaptopGPS. As soon as the criminal connects your laptop to the Internet MyLaptopGPS goes to work wipes all of the files from your laptop and even returns them to you via a secure data center.
The product even records information about the physical location of your laptop and may help law enforcement recover your laptop from the identity theft crook.
Lock It Up
Another way to protect your laptop from identity theft criminals is to keep it locked up. If a criminal breaks into your home and your laptop is locked to your desk with a physical laptop lock, the chances of them taking the time to actually steal your laptop are greatly reduced.
Laptop locks are also cost effective, with prices ranging from $15 to $30 depending on the model and brand you buy.
Just remember, your laptop is the holy grail for identity theft criminals. Do everything and anything in your power to keep your information under lock and key. The above identity theft prevention tools are a great way to do it.