Most Americans now believe it's only a matter of time before their identity is stolen but aren't taking the necessary steps to prevent that from happening, a new survey from SAP security solutions provider ERP Maestro reveals.
Seventy-six percent of the 2,000 Americans ERP Maestro polled in December said they believe it's "inevitable" they will fall victim to identity theft and cybercrime. Yet less than half of respondents take precautions such as regularly reviewing their credit reports, keeping sensitive documents in a secret place, regularly changing their passwords, using a VPN when connected to public Wi-Fi networks, or paying for a credit monitoring service.
Meanwhile, half of respondents or more take other preventative actions such as looking at their bank statements for fraudulent credit and debit charges, picking complex passwords, using firewalls and anti-virus software at home, and shredding their mail and other documents.
"Things as innocuous as birthdates and pet's names become building blocks for potential crimes, and information is more exposed than ever—routinely in transit, stored on countless devices, willingly shared on public platforms," ERP Maestro wrote. "Just as businesses need to assess security risk and take preventative measures, consumers do too."
On a more positive note, 72 percent of respondents said high profile breaches such as last year's Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal have caused them to change their behavior. The recently disclosed Collection #1 breach, for instace, offers a good reminder to take precautions like enabling two-factor authentication and signing up for a password manager.
For more on ERP Maestro's survey results, check out the infographic below.
