In the absence of adequate protection of personal information, criminals may use a variety of means to find a breakthrough to steal identities and then carry out illegal activities. Here are some common methods: 1. **Phishing**: - **Description**: By sending emails, text messages or social media messages disguised as legitimate institutions (such as banks, e-commerce platforms), victims are lured to click on malicious links or provide sensitive information. - **Preventive measures**: Be vigilant, do not easily click on links from unknown sources, verify the authenticity of the information, and use two-factor authentication. 2. **Data leakage and hacker attacks**: - **Description**: Attackers use hacking techniques to invade the database of enterprises or institutions and obtain a large amount of personal sensitive information, such as name, address, telephone number, ID number, bank account, etc. - **Preventive measures**: Enterprises should strengthen network security protection, regularly update systems and software, and users should monitor their account activities to detect abnormalities in a timely manner. 3. **Malware and spyware**: - **Description**: Through email attachments, downloading software or visiting malicious websites, infect user devices, record keyboard input, take screenshots or steal stored information. - **Preventive measures**: Install reliable antivirus software, avoid downloading software from unknown sources or clicking on suspicious links, and scan devices regularly. 4. **Social Engineering**: - **Description**: Establish a trusting relationship with the victim to obtain personal information. For example, impersonating customer service staff, friends or colleagues to ask for sensitive information. - **Preventive measures**: Do not trust unidentified requests, verify the identity of the other party, and avoid revealing too much personal information over the phone or on the Internet. 5. **Physical theft and loss**: - **Description**: Steal a person's physical documents (such as ID cards, driver's licenses), credit cards, bank cards or letters to obtain personal information. - **Preventive measures**: Keep important documents and property properly, check bank statements regularly, and report lost cards or documents in a timely manner. 6. **Too much public information**: - **Description**: Excessive sharing of personal information on social media or public platforms, such as birthdays, phone numbers, addresses, etc., provides criminals with opportunities to exploit. - **Preventive measures**: Limit the degree of public disclosure of personal information, adjust privacy settings, and be cautious when sharing sensitive information. 7. **Spam and spam text messages**: - **Description**: Sending a large number of spam emails or text messages to trick users into clicking on malicious links or replying to sensitive messages. - **Prevention measures**: Use spam filters, do not reply or click on suspicious messages, and report spam sources. **Comprehensive prevention suggestions**: - **Strengthen password management**: Use complex and unique passwords, change them regularly, and avoid using the same password on multiple platforms. - **Enable two-step authentication**: Enable two-step verification for important accounts to add an extra layer of security. - **Regularly monitor accounts**: Regularly check the activities of bank, credit card and other important accounts, and handle abnormalities in a timely manner. - **Education and awareness**: Improve your own security awareness, understand common fraud methods and prevention measures, and stay vigilant. By taking the above measures, you can significantly reduce the risk of personal information being stolen and protect yourself from identity theft and related illegal activities.