Myspace, Flickr, Hi5, Foursquare, Google Plus…. Remember those? During your time online it’s highly likely that you’ve left a few old accounts and profiles online. These can pose risks to both your reputation and your online security. Here’s how IDShield can help you.
The average person has over 150 active accounts and profiles across the web and a long trail of old ones that many of us don’t give a second thought about, but this scattering of your information can put you at risk, here’s how:
- Risks to your online reputation. It’s fair to say that your Myspace profile from 2006 doesn’t probably represent who you are now, your interests or career. If old accounts and profiles were found by professional contacts it could lead to assumptions being made about your behavior and damage to your reputation, stopping you from getting a job or new business opportunities.
- Risks to your privacy. Unscrupulous companies and data brokers collect the contact and personal information about you on old websites and use this to target you with ads and resell the information to others.
- Risks to your security. Leaving your personal information scattered about the web can put you at risk if one of these websites is hacked or suffers a data breach. Although you might think your old information is worthless, this has value to criminals who can combine it with more recent information to find key details that could be used to answer security questions about you, reset your passwords and takeover frequently used accounts such as your online banking.
IDShield’s account scan function can help you find some of the most common old accounts and profiles and then guide you through the steps you need to take to delete that account.
IDShield is a product of Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (“PPLSI”) and provides access to identity theft protection and restoration services. IDShield plans are available at individual or family rates. A family plan covers the named member, named member’s spouse or domestic partner and eligible dependent children under the age of 18. For complete terms, coverage, and conditions, please see an identity theft plan. All Licensed Private Investigators are licensed in the state of Oklahoma. An Identity Fraud Protection Plan (“Plan”) is issued through a nationally recognized carrier. IDShield/PPLSI is not an insurance carrier. This covers certain fraud expenses and legal costs as a result of a covered identity fraud event. See a Plan for complete terms, coverage, conditions, limitations, and family members who are eligible under the Plan.
