Accounts you have online

In this Internet age, having accounts that are managed online is commonplace. Using your computer to manage your accounts is fast and easy. The accounts that you may have online include the following:

• Bank accounts (savings and checking)
  
• Accounts for your bill paying service
  
• Insurance (homeowners, auto, life, and health)
  
• Investment accounts, such as 401K, mutual funds, and others
  
• Individual accounts with online merchants
  
• Services like PayPal services
  

Any account you can access online has the potential to be compromised. To access the account, you generally use a PIN (personal identification number, or password). Sometimes the PIN is all numeric, and sometimes it consists of alphanumeric characters.
The danger with online accounts is having a weak PIN, password, or one you need to write down. Once an identity thief figures out your password or PIN, he or she can access your accounts as easily as you do. Money can be withdrawn from the account or moved to other accounts; the accounts can be closed out.
The most secure combination of characters for a PIN or password is a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters, such as TGIF29#$!.