Increase in identity theft

Figures from the business information service Crif show that for the first six months of this year it recorded over one million reports from users of an IT attack on their personal data.

Online games and dating platforms are particularly affected, but websites, forums and streaming services also fall into the category of abuse incidents, he said.

However, the trade in stolen data is also increasingly taking place on Telegram. The short message service is increasingly becoming a "virtual meeting place" for cyber crooks, who exchange personal data such as lists of stolen e-mail addresses and passwords of companies or private individuals.

Overall, a significant increase in the number of cases in which complete credit card information correctly matches the first and last names of cardholders can be discerned.

How to protect your identity preventively:

• Be mindful of web presences with high benefit promises.
• Pay attention to security updates of antivirus software and operating system.
• Open email attachments only if you trust the senders.
• Always look for encrypted websites (https).

If you have already been a victim of identity theft:

• Inform your payment providers, banks and credit card company immediately.
• Change your passwords and credentials of the affected accounts.
• Not every invoice is genuine: if in doubt, inform the company.
• Always look for encrypted websites (HTTPS encryption).
• Report fake social media profiles to the operators of the social networks.
• Change your passwords regularly and use two-factor authentication.

By the way, according to an analysis of passwords found on the Dark Web, the following passwords are the most popular in Switzerland: Daniel, Andrea, Soleil, Sunshine and Sommer.

Source: Crif