10 Tips to Protect Your Online ID

Here are ten (10) tips you can put in place to better secure your identity and personal information and accounts (for more information on any of the recommendations, perform a specific search on the web for information).

1. never use the same password for any website that has sensitive information (use a password manager like 'LastPass' or 'DashLane')

1. create a secondary email account (outside of your normal day to day email address) that is used where financial sites request a recovery email address

1. never click a URL (website link) that is provided in an email. Always type out the website address

1. reduce Google's hold on you by changing your search engine to DuckDuckGo (the search site does not collect search activity)

1. sign up for the free app 'Mint' on your mobile device. It is a read-only service by Intuit that allows you to view any linked accounts for daily transactions (your own do-it-yourself 'LifeLock' monitoring)

1. check out Home Depot website regarding their recent hacker attack. They are offering, free of charge, a one-year subscription for an identity theft monitoring service through AllClear ID. Signup on Home Depot's site , obtain a redemption code and get protection

1. check your Credit Card and Debit Card providers websites and enroll in any available credit monitoring services they offer for free

1. never put passwords, personal information or vacation schedules on social sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr etc

1. make sure your home or business wireless router is secure - check out http://compnetworking.about.com/od/wirelesssecurity/tp/wifisecurity.htm

1. enable two-factor authentication (multi-factor authentication) for any service provider (banks, Evernote, Gmail, Outlook, and more) offering this feature. Two-factor authentication prevents an unauthorized person from accessing your information without an additional code sent to your cell/mobile device

Increase Chances to Recover Phone, Tablet, etc.

Improve your chance to recover a lost or misplaced phone, tablet or mobile device. How? Create an ICE (in case of emergency) and 'If Found' Home Screen for those devices. Check the image on this post: go to the built-in Notes app on the mobile device, put in "If found" and "In case of emergency" contact information (consider putting a few blank lines at the top). Then simultaneously press the Home button and the on-off button (on the iPhone this takes a screenshot of that information). Next, go over to the "Photos" app, find the screenshot, tapped it, set it as your wallpaper. Done!