 TITLE: What Is Shoulder Surfing? CONTENT: Steps for Preventing Shoulder Surfing\n-------------------------------------\nAs you can see, there are many reasons to be concerned about shoulder surfing. Following these steps can help protect you from shoulder surfers.\n*   **Get physical.** If you must enter a password or PIN on a mobile device in public, stand or sit with your back against a wall. When using an ATM or PIN pad, shield the keys from view with your body and your other hand. If there's no way to avoid sharing credit card numbers or other sensitive data over the phone, move away from others and speak quietly, shielding your mouth with your hand. Put privacy protector screens on your laptop, tablet and smartphone. While this won't keep thieves from spying on what you type, it can prevent them from seeing which account you're logging into.\n*   **Avoid reusing passwords.** Two-thirds of Americans in a Harris Poll last year admit to reusing passwords for more than one account. Doing so can multiply the fraud that could result if that password is compromised. If a shoulder surfer gets hold of a password you've used and your email address, they can try them with hundreds of websites and services. This could result in them gaining access to more of your accounts. Use password manager apps to generate secure passwords (random strings of letters, numbers and symbols) and store them securely to ensure you never reuse a password. Since the password manager logs in for you, you don't have to type anything, so there's nothing for shoulder surfers to see—just make sure to protect your master password well.\n*   **Take advantage of technology.** It doesn't matter how secure your passwords are if someone can see you typing them. Employ the facial recognition or fingerprint logins some apps offer on laptops and mobile devices to access your data without the need to input PINs or passwords. Use contactless payment apps to pay without keying in PINs.\n*   **Don't log in to sensitive accounts on public Wi-Fi or shared devices.** Shoulder surfers aside, it's never a good idea to use public Wi-Fi or shared devices (such as computers at the public library or tablets on display at the Apple Store) to log in to your personal accounts or shop online. Public Wi-Fi networks are vulnerable to hackers who can tap into the connection and steal your data.\n*   **Use two-factor authentication.** Two-factor authentication requires a second form of identity verification in addition to your password. For example, your bank might send you a one-time code to log in that's only good for a few minutes. Even a thief with your password or PIN can't get them into your bank account without inputting the code. Two-factor authentication can slow down access to your accounts, but protecting your sensitive data is worth the delay.\n*   **Watch for warning signs of foul play.** The earlier you spot signs of fraud or identity theft, the faster you can act to address it. Review your credit card, bank account and other financial statements every month. Look for anything that appears suspicious, such as a transaction with a company you don't recognize or a withdrawal from an ATM in a strange city. If you have financial accounts or store accounts you rarely use, log in occasionally and consider removing saved payment information. END