Passwords are personal, non-transferable security credentials that protect all the information in your digital world: personal details, bank accounts, social networks, confidential information, images and content of any kind.
That's why it's important to create robust passwords that are hard to guess. Though no matter how strong the password you use to protect your digital world is, it'll be useless if you share it with another person. If your password is known to someone other than yourself, it is no longer a secure password.
- You must never share your security credentials
Sometimes, for the sake of convenience, speed or the trust you can have in another person, you may give out these passwords without really being aware of the risk it entails: Sometimes you let yourself be guided by practicality, even when it is not safe. Sharing your passwords is a very dangerous practice, which can turn against you and harm you both personally and professionally.
For this reason, it is important to know that when you share your password with another person, you are allowing them to identify themselves in the digital world as if they were you. You are handing over your digital identity. This means that any action they carry out will be linked to you, so whether fraudulent or not, you could be held responsible for it. You are also providing access to all your information; you cannot be completely sure that your password won't be shared with third parties, and so this information could fall into the wrong hands.
- Proximity fraud: When the person who tricks you is someone from your inner circle
Sharing passwords also plays a key role in some of the most well-known instances of fraud, which is where we find proximity fraud. Proximity fraud occurs when a person assigns his or her passwords to a family member, friend or acquaintance, who then uses them to commit a crime or fraudulent transaction completely illegally, without the holder's authorisation.
Even if it is to one of your nearest and dearest, as soon as you give out your passwords you are losing control of the actions that may or may not be carried out with your accounts, and thus putting them at risk. You will never be able to be completely sure about how your account will be used.
As well as not sharing your password with anyone, given that it is a personal and non-transferable security element, remember that you should also never write it down or leave it out in the open in your home. Keeping your passwords and authentication mechanisms in a secure place is essential to avoid becoming a victim to proximity fraud. This way you can give your passwords the importance they deserve to keep your online world safe.