I was updating my online investment account today and was asked to set new security questions.  No, not my password, my security questions.  You know what I’m talking about; questions like “what town were you born in,” “what was the name of your first dog”, “what is your mother’s maiden name.”

If you’ve been answering those questions truthfully, stop it. You’re compromising the security of your information.

This very thing happened to someone I know about a year ago.  We’ll call her Kate.  Kate  was in a committed relationship with this guy (we’ll call him Doug). Doug was also the paranoid and jealous type. Having been together for several years, Doug knew things about Kate. I’m sure you see where this is going…

After the inevitable bad breakup with paranoid Doug, Kate discovered she no longer had access to her email and other online accounts. It seemed the passwords had been changed.  No permanent damage was done but gaining access to her accounts was an arduous task.  It all came down to an individual who knew Kate’s hometown and her mother’s maiden name.  That’s all it took to take over her online life.

So the next time you’re filling in those security questions, when faced with the question of “What city were you born in?” Instead of entering Somewhere, USA, I’d relocate your birth city to “Tenor, Baritone” or some other such nonsense.