We all know that the Internet is full of identity thieves earning something from other people’s hard work. They send unknown e-mails for phishing, offer free software that doubles as a spyware and get all the information that they want in your computer. That’s why we should always be aware of what we download and the service that we sign up to protect ourselves from this type of crime which will lead us virtually helpless.
Because of constantly advancing technology, however, you don’t just need to be aware of what you do in the internet. Other types of communication facility that you use could be susceptible to spyware, and your information can be retrieved even though you think you have deleted them. In this article, we take a look at two of those things. First we take a look at your cell phones and next is (hold your breath) colored printers! Read on and know more about them.
Cell phones have been doing wonders in our lives for more than a decade now. More than ever, we become more and more dependent on the information that it can give and the information that we can give out. Businessmen need those mobile devices to keep in touch with their business partners and they make sure their business is afloat even when they are on vacation with their kids. This sounds really nice since everything that we do could be placed in a small gadget. However, identity thieves prey on these phones especially when you don’t need them and you decide to sell them.
Identity theft through cell phone is really easy, and even you can do it. Sure you can delete the information in your cell phone with a simple command, but there are free tools that you can download online that can actually retrieve all the date from the first information that you entered in your mobile phone. How to avoid this? Contact the manufacturer on how to delete the information permanently. It may take some time but all the effort is worth it if you’re placing lots and lots of personal information in your mobile device.
This may surprise you but colored laser printers are used to gather personal information. How does in work? Colored laser printers place yellow dots in your pages to track the pattern of what you’re really printing. These yellow dots are not just there for design reasons. In fact, you can’t even see them. You still need a pretty good microscope to be able to see them. The yellow doter pattern was originally used to track those who print counterfeit money. But apparently it has been abused in some way. For starters, there’s someone who publishes a name for those who supported groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and GreenPeace. I personally don’t understand why they have to give out the name but the fact that they can know what you’re actually printing should already be a concern. How do you counter-act that? Go to EFF’s printer list and see what kinds of colored laser printer have yellow dots in printed materials. If you’re using black and white laser printer, don’t worry.
These are some of the things that could take some personal information from you without knowing it. Be aware on whatever you do to protect yourself at all times.
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