Dear June: Help Me Protect My Identity!

Photo by Jennie Faber

Dear June,

Do you shop online? And if so, what qualifications do you use in picking the places you feel comfortable?

Mary Kiely, Illinois

Dear Mary Kiely, (If, in fact, you are Mary Kiely and not someone masquerading as such),

I appreciate someone who gets to the point. Thank you for your inquiry.

My husband (who is supposed to be studying Hebrew at the moment) is suddenly very interested in tonight's Dear June column. He chose your question from 17 choices and has this to say:

"Buy gift cards. Use them online. Re-charge them when you've used them up. Then--if for some reason you DO get scammed, it won't be for more than the gift card's value."

To answer your question, I do not shop online very often. But when I do, I limit my shopping experience to stores I know and trust.

Feel special, Mary Kiely. Your question was answered by an entire village.

Be safe.

Bubsy and Other Embarassing Words

Photo by Randy Pertiet

It's something your great grandparents never dealt with.

(No, I'm not referring to talk shows, Halloween decorations, or cleaning the bathroom.)

I'm talking about passwords--those pesky little names or numbers you must accumulate to protect everything from your bank account to your business e-mail and everything in between.

In honor of Friday being the day we focus on the office, here are some tips for keeping yourself safe:

1. Don't use the same password for every site. Reason goes to show that if someone figures out your favorite child or song, they'll unlock your entire life.

2. Be careful what you write down. If you must write down your passwords, do so cryptically enough that someone else's discovery of your list won't mean your entire life is destroyed. (i.e., Avoid writing MY LIST OF PASSWORDS at the top of the page. And never put this list on the fridge.)

3. Keep it to yourself. Change your passwords from time to time, and never, EVER tell untrustworthies what they are. If you do need to enlist the help of someone who receives your password (such as the "trustworthy IT guy") change it as soon as possible.

Here is a great strategy for creating passwords and keeping 'em straight:

Choose a password that pleases you: 1970Bubsy and then add the first word of each site in front of it to keep the password unique for each site. So your bank account might be Bank1970Bubsy and your church prayer list might be Church1970Bubsy and your e-mail might be ... you get the point.

Someday, we'll exchange our little phrases for biometrics, and our great grandchildren will have a hay day discussing what their ancestors did for safety. Until then, stay safe.