Free Wifi Sites Leave You Vulnerable To Identity Theft

There many ways to get free Wifi service. You can go to a free Wifi site, such as a coffee shop, an airport or any other company or building that offers it. With these types of free Wifi sites, you simply have to have a wireless antenna or card in your computer and then you can log onto the internet for free as long as you are within range of one of these free Wifi sites. The only drawback to getting your internet this way is that you can be open to hacking if someone really knows what they're doing. When you send information over these signals sent by these free Wifi sites, that information can be plucked out of the air by people who are good at that sort of thing. Your name, address, banking information and more can be stolen if you're not careful. There are ways to combat this but for the typical internet user, these avenues are much too complicated to even discuss.

Sending Information

You would need to send information over the signals from the free Wifi sites in order for it to be stolen. For example, if you are ordering a product, or products, over the internet and you're using a free Wifi site, your credit card can be stolen. The person who stole it can then order whatever they want, leaving you with an enormous bill. It is advisable to be careful when you're using a free Wifi site. Don't send anything across the Wifi that don't want stolen. You can surf the internet, check sports scores, read the news, or check stock reports, but it's advisable not to order anything or to get on your banking sites when getting your internet this way.

The Padlock

If you are going to include anything on a website that can be stolen, such as personal or banking information, make sure the site is protected. You'll be able to see a tiny padlock symbol somewhere on the site. This padlock is typically next to the web address bar or it's in the status bar at the bottom of your web browser. This means that the website is protected and that the information sent over that site is encrypted. However, you should know that if a hacker really knows what he or she is doing, and the information is sent over a free Wifi site, it can be deciphered and stolen just as easily as someone can listen in on phone calls if you're on a free Wifi phone connection. Having a free anything is great but you should just be careful if you're using a free Wifi site so that you're not a victim of identity theft.