Last year the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received more than 1.4 million reports of identity theft. According to Javelin Strategy & Research 52 billion was stolen from Americans in 2022.

It is estimated that the average person spends close to 7 hours each day online, some of that time is spent sharing personal information on a variety of websites. Each piece of information you share can potentially lead to theft by cybercriminals who gain access to that information.

Here are 3 steps you can take to reduce the risk of your information being stolen.

Clean Up

Old, outdated accounts that you no longer use put you at risk. The more information you have out there the greater the chance that it will be stolen. Close old accounts, this can include email accounts, social media sites, financial accounts, online medical portals, online storage sites, online stores, and other websites you have signed up for. If an account is closed a hacker cannot access it. The less information you have online the better.

Change Passwords

It is important that you regularly change your passwords for each site you visit. Use a password manager to store your login information and use the password manager to generate strong, long, secure, unique passwords. While you are changing your passwords also change your security questions and answers. Never use real answers for the security questions as they can be very easy to guess. Instead use the password manager to generate a nonsensical string of random characters and use those as the answers, then store the questions and answers in your password manager.

Use Two-Factor or Multi-Factor Authentication

Use two or multifactor authentication on every website that offers it. This adds another layer of security to your online accounts, with it you will be required to provide your password along with another form of authentication to access your accounts.

Final Thoughts

There are many other ways to protect yourself online, these are just three important steps to take to boost your security.