To most the dark web is a mysterious place only criminals wonder into. But, you were part of a data breach and you want to know how to remove your information from the dark web.
The truth is once shared your information is public. It’s time to be proactive so no one gets real far having your information. This means locking down all your accounts.
On the dark web crime happens and things like passwords, financial records and more are shared with those for free and those who will pay for the information. There can even be a personal credit report showing up. It’s absolutely crazy what sensitive information can be found on there.
Since you really cannot remove your info from there you need to get proactive and use a dark web monitoring tool, so you know what’s going on.
Protect Yourself First
Ok, so your information has been found on the dark web. Here’s what you can do.
- Local down all accounts and enable two factor authentication
- Start using an authenticator app on your phone
- Start using strong unique passwords
- Make use of privacy tools
- Do a dark web scan for passwords and account information
- Use a identity theft service
- Use a tool that shows you data breaches
- Get educated on the dark web and protecting your information
You will need to add an extra layer of security if your information is already out there.
Use A Strong Password Manager
Passwords are extremely important to keeping your information secure. Many people are bothered by long complex passwords and get very frustrated when they cannot long into something because they forgot the password. It’s understandable.
However, there is great software out there such as Keeper, that you can pay yearly and it will help keep your passwords complex and easy to use. You can also use the password manager in Google Chrome.
What Is The Dark Web and Protecting Yourself
The dark web lives elsewhere on the internet, where search engines such as Google cannot and will not go. To even access the dark web you need special software called Tor. There are so many illegal things that happen there. You can find credit card and social security numbers all over it. This is why it’s so important to keep everything you have secure.
What is a Data Breach?
Data breaches happen all the time on the web. Many Companies computer systems are broken into. The problem is many times it’s a financial company where real sensitive data is saved. This will include credit card numbers and more. This is why it’s so important to change your password on a regular basis.
Identity Theft and How To Stay Clear of It
Identity theft is another scary crime that happens online a lot. This is where your actual identity gets stolen and criminals apply for loans and buy other thighs on your behalf. You need to protect yourself from online crimes and it’s actually easier to do than you think.
Secure Your Credit Report
Your credit report is very important to your financial health and life. You need to and want to guard it with your life. Here’s how
- Always monitor your report. Monitoring your report allows you to see if anything happened and gives you time to react and fix it.
- Freeze your credit report if you need to. When you freeze your report, nothing can be opened in your name, no loans or anything.
Protecting your credit is vital, make sure you take the time to learn how. Many software now have a dark web scan reveals to you exactly what amount of your information is out there.
Where to get a Dark Web Scan?
Here is a list of places and software that will scan the dark web for you and let you know how much of your info is breached.
It’s very important to keep on eye on your information from your credit report to all your finances. Using a dark web scanner software will help alert you so you can change passwords when needed and or open new accounts.
In fact it’s very surprising to many when the scanner comes back and shows them accounts they forgot about 10 years ago using all the same passwords as their accounts today.
In Fact there are data brokers online who sell peoples information on the darkest corners of the web, from online accounts to social media accounts.
Removing other information from the web
There are ways you can remove other data from the internet that display your personal information. Doing this can help to minimize your identity theft risk.
You can also request third party sites to remove your information. Just do a quick Google search on your name and some interesting information about you might come up in the search results. If it does visit each site and see if you can contact them and let them know you want your information gone from their website.
Much of what you will find on a search engine is public records (1.) and personal info. And a good amount of it you can have removed.
You can also request to remove your name from the Google search results index.
You Can Also Use Software To Remove Information
While many people think that removing their browsing history is enough, others know that third party websites keep lots of personal information.
You can use software to remove information and keep identity thieves at bay. This software will remove your aggregate personal information from multiple accounts with private information.
When Using Public WiFi
When you use public wifi your personal details can go right through the network. This means never access your banking information on a public wifi. And always use a VPN which is a virtual private network. Tracking and privacy tools can help you get rid of tracking cookies and more that can reveal too much about you.
Report Identity Theft
The Federal Trade Commission has a website where you can report any identity theft (2.) that has occurred. You can also file a report with your local police and let your bank and or any other financial institutions know what has happened.
What To Look Out For In The Future on the Dark Web?
It’s important to realize that cybersecurity is very imp[orant these days. In fact the number one reason people get hacked is laziness. People just don’t take the precautions they should with their info. You should always look out for social engineering and phishing attempts. Never share personal information over any platform; they are usually all insecure. And, always keep your software on your phone and computer updated.
- Best public records search engine Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/landman/comments/1c1x10e/best_public_records_search_engine/
- Report Identity Theft
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/topics/identity-theft/report-identity-theft
