Many couples today share an account not only offline but even online such as through their banks or their favorite social networking sites. While this may be an advantage to them in more ways than one, it can become a problem once they separate or get divorced.
If you’re one of those who are in this situation, it is a good idea to be prepared and know the steps to protect your online accounts. Here are some tips you should seriously consider.
Change Passwords
The first step you need to take is to change your passwords. This is a must particularly if you’ve shared the passwords of your own personal accounts with your partner. Do change the personal identification numbers (PINs) on your credit and debit cards, online banking accounts and email accounts. You will also need to change the answers to your security questions to ensure your spouse won’t be able to easily guess the answers and make sure you do this using your own gadgets.
A Pew study has shown that 67 percent of couples share at least one online account password. Also, the research found that 27 percent of them have shared their email password.
Update Your Information
“You should also update other personal information with your banks such as your postal address,” recommends attorney Tony Dunne, a San Diego divorce lawyer. “This is necessary so you could still receive your credit reports and bank account statements. Additionally, this will prevent your spouse from prying in your mails.”
Secure Your Own Gadgets
Do secure your own smartphone, tablet or computer as well. If you’ve been sharing gadgets with your spouse, it would be a good idea to transfer any important information such as passwords, credit card info, tax returns and browsing history to your own separate device. Then permanently delete personal data from those shared gadgets.
In addition to that, you can also backup your gadget and do a full factory reset. You can use a keylogger detector on your computer or you can simply back up your information and wipe it.
Protect Your Social Media Accounts
Some couples who divorce remain friends while the others decide not to get connected anymore particularly on social media. You will have to decide then whether to stay friends with your ex on your favorite social networking sites or temporarily block them for some time.
Keep in mind that everything you post can be seen hence, you should double check your privacy settings. You may also want to check your posting history and delete anything you don’t want seen by your friends.
Take note that divorce lawyers are now checking social media to find advantage points they can use in court cases particularly for child custody hearings. As such, be extra careful about what you post on Facebook as they can be used against you.