Here are the reasons why you should delete your old online accounts
Old online accounts should not just be forgotten because you might be at risk if you do not delete these accounts even though you are not using them already.
With the advent of technology, the internet, and everything that is being done online, people are required to have certain accounts. The most common site that you should log in is your e-mail. This is being used in other online platforms, such as your social media accounts.
With different accounts, you might have a lot of different passwords, especially when you forget one and create another account. You may have forgotten old passwords, but cybercriminals can remember them, based on the article in Reader’s Digest.
Having so many logins puts you at risk because it is a potential target for hackers who are finding sensitive information saved in it such as credit card or bank account numbers.
Many people use one password for many of their accounts and hackers can use this single password to log in to different accounts.
Here are the possible forgotten accounts that you have:
- Email (Hotmail, Yahoo, Outlook, Gmail, etc.)
- Social media
- School accounts and emails
- Health sites (hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices and labs)
- Concert and theater ticket sites
- Transportation (train, bus or plane services)
- Travel sites
- Loyalty plans and rewards cards
- Online-shopping sites
Here is how you should find and delete your old accounts:
- Look for your login credentials to various online accounts on your computer’s web browser
Click three dots in Chrome – Passwords and autofill – Google Password Manager
- Check if any of your passwords have shown up on the dark web due to a data breach
Click three dots in Chrome – Passwords and autofill – Google Password Manager – Checkup
- Check your PC, Mac or mobile device’s operating system for login credentials to various accounts
Search for the word “password” – find a password manager (called “Keychain access” on a Mac) – delete them or change the passwords if you want to keep them
- Log on to each site to review or change your password, or officially deactivate or delete accounts you no longer use
Keep your password safe by doing these:
- Use a unique password for each account – even just a slight variation
- Don’t write passwords in a notepad or keep them all in a document on your computer
- Create a strong password – at least 12 characters long, with unique words and symbols
- Use multifactor authentication for your important online accounts, like online banking