Dump That Risky Behavior Now!

By Author: Jane-Marie Sandberg
Total Articles: 7
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Recently I went to a used book store with a friend who had a box of old books she wanted to sell. The manager said she could offer her $11.75. She asked my friend her name, address, telephone number, email address and then her social security number - all for $11.75. My friend asked why she needed all the personal information and what was going to happen to it once the store had it. The manager stated that she didn't fully know, but it was store policy to get the information when they purchased buy-back books. My friend knew that the value of her privacy and that her information and personal data was worth more than $11.75 which the store manager was offering. My friend decided to forego the money and maintain her privacy and personal information.

How often do you give away personal information without questioning those asking for it?

Whether you know it or not and whether you admit it or not, bad habits are making you vulnerable to data mining, junk mail, fraud, and identity theft. Risky behavior hinders and thwarts your ability to get ahead in your personal, business, and social success.

Three ...
... Bad Habits You Can Start Breaking Today

Consider the consequences and then follow these three preliminary steps to start breaking your risky behavior today.

1. Become aware of your risky behavior and bad habits. Question others when they ask you for your information. Know that data mining takes place in the supermarket and other common places you frequent. When you are asked for personal data, buying habits, address, phone number, email contact and other identifiable information at various intervals over time it often goes unnoticed as a full collection of your personal information is gathered. Know that frequent buyers' programs collect your information and then either trade or sell it to an information broker who then sells it to other companies that compile a more complete personal profile of your spending, eating, and daily living habits. Do you fill in all the blanks just because you're asked?

Have you placed an order and discovered that the salesperson knew more about you than you had shared? With today's technology businesses specifically target market items to you that they know you will purchase. Consider the last time you ordered a pizza. To see where we're headed and how someone without a high school diploma could have access to all of your valuable and personal information and data see the pizza video at http://www.ifidaknown.com/video.

2. Examine the motivation for your risky behavior. Is it to save time, to make your life or someone else's life easier, because you're answering to someone who has a bit of authority over something you want or perhaps you just didn't think about it. Question your reasons for giving away your personal data whether it is given verbally, digitally, or filled in the blanks on a form.

3. Examine the consequences of your bad habits. What might you lose by offering sensitive information to an online company that has done little to avoid being hacked, or whose anti-spyware software isn't up-to-date? What are you exposing by doing online banking and making the decision to pay bills online? Just how inconvenient is it to protect your account information and financial documents in a locked safe in your home each time you review them? How are your children exposing your family's personal information on their personal website, blog, or social networking account, such as MySpace or Facebook? How much information can be gathered when someone Googles you or your family's genealogy information?

With very little effort you can begin now, changing one bad habit at a time, for increased home and family security.

And now I'd like to invite you to go to http://www.powerofprivacy.com and get your FREE instant access to Your Ultimate Guide to Privacy (30 pages) from Ifida Known, America's Ambassador for Privacy, Safety, Security and Identity Theft Protection . Other articles written by Ifida Known are available at http://www.IfidaKnown.com. Copyright 2005-2008 © Ifida Known Enterprises