Scammers have their own techniques to steal from their victims. Clement Domingo, a committed hacker, gives his advice to better protect yourself from scams.
Today, it has never been easier for cybercriminals to interfere in our daily lives. A simple date of birth gleaned from a public profile, a last name associated with a first name, or an old telephone number is enough. Hackers no longer need to infiltrate complex computer systems to hack into our lives: these fragments of personal information, which seem innocuous, are the perfect keys to usurping our identity or defrauding us. By leaving this data lying around without paying attention, we unknowingly transform ourselves into ideal targets for waves of increasingly sophisticated and personalized scams.
Faced with this invisible threat, voices are raised to guide us, like Clément Domingo. Known under the pseudonym SaxX, this “Gentle Hacker and Cyber Diplomat” has made it his mission to democratize cybersecurity. Recently invited by Guillaume Pley on his show LEGEND, this committed expert came to remind us that the protection of our privacy does not require extraordinary technical skills. During this interview, he shared a series of extremely practical, pragmatic tips that are accessible to everyone, to better protect yourself from hackers.
Among these recommendations, there is one, almost counterintuitive, which stands out as the best kept secret of security professionals: the art of lying about one’s identity. To avoid being easily found on the internet, Clément Domingo simply recommends providing a false name, knowingly making spelling mistakes in your first name or changing your date of birth, particularly when registering for a loyalty program, creating a new account on an online store, etc. Why give your real name, your exact date of birth or your main address to a platform that risks being hacked tomorrow? You can also choose a pseudonym, and thus cover your tracks. If a database leaks, hackers will inherit false information that cannot be used to trace your real life.
@guillaumepley Clément Domingo, aka SaxX the hacker, recommends not always using your real identity online, for example by slightly changing your first name. He also advises favoring relay points for deliveries and using strong and different passwords on each site. The full interview is available on YouTube and all podcast platforms #legend #legendmedia original sound – Guillaume Pley
This reflex of intelligent concealment also applies to our physical environment and our digital access. The hacker recommends, for example, never providing your personal postal address for everyday purchases: systematically favor delivery to a relay point or to a “pick-up” type locker in order to cut short geographical tracking. On the virtual side and although we are often told, protection undoubtedly requires the end of generic passwords reused endlessly. The expert emphasizes the importance of adopting a password manager or generator to design unique, long and complex access keys.
To go even further and permanently lock down your digital ecosystem, two essential reflexes must be added to this range. The first is the systematic activation of double authentication (2FA) on all of your sensitive accounts (emails, social networks, banks); even if a scammer has your password, they’ll be stuck at the door without the ephemeral code sent to your phone. The second consists of compartmentalizing your communications by creating a “junk” email address, dedicated exclusively to loyalty cards and transit subscriptions, thus protecting your main mailbox from phishing attempts. Protecting yourself from scams does not depend on technology, but on a change of posture: becoming a little more unpredictable than those who seek to trap us.
