Cyber Safety — Question 1

Online identity is a social identity that an internet user establishes in online communities and websites.

Some threats to our online identity are as follows:

1. Phishing — It is the illegal acquisition of personal and sensitive information (such as, online banking details, credit card details, and other login details) through deceptive emails or fake web pages that mimic well-known organizations.
2. Dumpster Diving — It is a method cybercriminals use to obtain personal information from discarded documents like bills, credit cards, and passwords, which they can then exploit to steal the online identity of the targetted person.
3. Shoulder Surfing — It is obtaining personal information, such as a PIN at an ATM machine, personal details while filling up a form, or the lock code of a smartphone through direct observation by looking over a person's shoulder.
4. Employment Scam — In this scam, job seekers are promised high-paying jobs in exchange for money and personal information, targeting them via email, leading to identity theft and financial losses.
5. Pretexting — It is the practice of obtaining a person's personal information using a fake name or fake company and then selling that information to people who use it to steal that person's online identity.