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Identity theft is annoying and frustrating. Someone using your email and name to sign up for a service is probably a good example of a very low-level form of identity theft. But there are even higher forms of identity theft, where someone manages to get ahold of your home address, phone number, social security number, or credit card information to perform transactions in your name.
That’s when the real headache starts. This is why it’s important to know about identity theft, and more importantly, how to prevent it from happening by using services like Surfshark VPN.
What is identity theft and how it happens
In the past, identity theft used to happen when someone got ahold of personal information like the information on your driver’s license, letters, and maybe even details on a form you might have filled up. These days, identity theft can happen online. This is because we submit a lot of personal information online, including photos and videos of ourselves.
Plus the fact that we don’t have to do sign-ups in person, it has become a lot easier to impersonate someone on the internet. Also, since many of us do like to work outside at cafes or libraries, using public WiFi is another way where our information can get hacked and stolen.
As you might have heard, there have been a lot of data breaches over the years where personal information gets leaked online. This has made it a lot easier for people to use your information to sign up for services and newsletters online, with some going as far as hacking your social media accounts to impersonate you.
We’ve seen how damaging this can be, especially for celebrities or social media influencers where the impersonator might try to ask for money from their followers. This can lead to damages to a person’s reputation or even their credit score. It can also lead to legal trouble where someone could get hurt or sued as a result, even if it wasn’t necessarily their fault
How a VPN can protect you
If you’re trying to avoid all the headaches associated with identity theft, at least online, then this is where a VPN service can come in handy.
Some of you might think that VPNs are only good for hiding or changing your location to watch streaming services like Netflix. While that is a good reason to get one, there are also a lot of privacy and security benefits of a VPN that can be useful if you’re serious about protecting yourself online.
For starters, VPNs provide encryption of your data. This means that data sent through a VPN’s servers to its destination is encrypted and protected. Even if someone were to intercept it, they would not be able to decrypt it. This is extremely useful if you’re using public WiFi in a cafe, hotel, or library but want to log into your online accounts like social media or your bank.
VPNs can also help to hide your location. Because your information is sent through the VPN’s servers instead of directly to your ISP, information like your IP address and actual location is hidden from prying eyes. By hiding your location, it can make it a lot more difficult for online advertisers, website cookies, and hackers from knowing who you are and where you’re from, preventing identity theft in the process.
It also works in reverse, where information and data you receive from a website or online service is routed through the VPN’s servers first before it reaches you. Combine that with the encryption that VPN services offer, it would be close to impossible for an attacker to know who you are and what you’re doing online.
Surfshark VPN
If you’re looking for a VPN service to use to better protect yourself online, Surfshark is a pretty good place to start. Surfshark is one of the leading VPN services available in the market right now.
The company offers its VPN services across your devices, whether it be mobile or desktop. This means that you’re protected all the time no matter which device you’re using. Seeing as how we do a lot of things on our phones, like making financial transactions, it is important to stay protected.
One of the features of Surfshark is a built-in kill switch. This means that while you’re using its services and for some reason your connection to Surfshark gets cut off, the kill switch will shut off your internet connection. This will prevent you from exposing yourself online if you’re unaware that your VPN connection was lost.
Surfshark also has the ability for you to change your IP address to one that isn’t associated with you. This allows you to surf the web anonymously without worrying about exposing yourself.
The service also has a pretty amazing privacy policy in the form of no-logs. The company claims that they do not keep logs on user activity. If you’re not comfortable with websites or your ISP keeping track of what you do online, even if there’s nothing illegal, Surfshark’s VPN will ensure that even they don’t know what you’re doing.
All in all, Surfshark is a great place to start if you’re looking for a VPN to keep you safe online and protect you from identity theft. Their prices are also pretty competitive starting at $2.39 a month that offers you all the basic protection features you might need. Even their more advanced offerings, like Surfshark One+, is still pretty affordable at just $4.69 a month. For more information or to sign up, head on over to Surfshark’s website.
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