{"id":115635,"date":"2018-12-12T11:53:03","date_gmt":"2018-12-12T11:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=115635"},"modified":"2025-07-01T22:38:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T05:38:28","slug":"identity-theft-is-up-8-heres-how-to-prevent-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/identity-theft-is-up-8-heres-how-to-prevent-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Identity theft is up 8%: here\u2019s how to prevent it"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to research by Javelin Institute, identity theft increased by 8% in 2017. In total, <\/span>fraudsters stole $16.8bn from 16.7 million consumers<\/span><\/a>. And that\u2019s just in the US. <\/span><\/p>\n

As we do more online, the risk of identity theft increases. Think of all the times you paid online by credit card in the past month, or all the online forms you filled in, or any online banking you did. <\/span><\/p>\n

Unless you take action to protect yourself, it might only be a matter of time before someone decides to exploit your personal information for their own gain. Examples could be opening credit cards in your name, submitting fake tax returns, or running up huge utility bills.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thankfully, there are lots of ways to protect your identity so you stay safe online. One way of the most effective is by using a secure and private internet browser.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Popular brands like Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer contain security flaws, such as <\/span>unsafe autofills<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>malicious extensions<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>phishing vulnerabilities<\/span><\/a>. If you want to protect yourself from identity theft, we therefore recommend a new browser that\u2019s been designed to put your security and privacy first. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s called Brave. <\/span><\/p>\n

Before we explain what Brave does, let\u2019s dig a little deeper into what identity theft is and who is most at risk… \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is identity theft?<\/b><\/p>\n

Experian<\/span><\/a>, the consumer credit reporting agency, says this about identity theft:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIdentity theft occurs when someone uses your identity or personal information\u2014such as your name, your driver’s license, or your Social Security number\u2014without your permission to commit a crime or fraud.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Online, this usually involves someone stealing your data and using it to defraud you. There are many types of identity fraud, but according to the Federal Trade Commission, the most popular is credit card fraud, closely followed by employment or tax fraud, and utilities fraud (see below). \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fraudsters use various methods to get their hands on your data. They might get hold of it physically (by raking through your trash, for example), but often, it\u2019s easier to trick you into revealing personal information online. They don\u2019t have to be physically near you, which makes online identity theft much less risky. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some examples of how a fraudster might steal your identity online:<\/span><\/p>\n