E-Signatures and Identity Theft

The advent of the “e” world compelled a lot of things to have their own digital counterparts like e-commerce which is the digital counterpart of the country’s economy; e-mail the digital counterpart of the ordinary sent via local post offices; e-shopping the digital counterpart of a woman’s best friend; and e-signatures the digital counterpart of our own signatures.

E-signatures have revolutionized the way we conduct out business both online and offline. It sped up the process as it does not anymore require actual signatures on every documents or contracts, but the legal weight of the contract is just the same. More and more legally binding contracts are being conducted and handled in a matter of minutes. Both buyers and sellers are thrilled because of the fast transaction.

The Advantages of E=Signatures

At one point or another, e-signatures can actually be a lot safer as it provides more security compared to the usual paper and pen signatures. E-signatures can uniquely identity you as the authorized signer and the document that you signed with an e-signature can be secured further with an encryption technology. When you sign your document, the document is automatically time stamped and since it’s digital, your file can be easily archived safely without worrying that rodents might find and chew on it.

All in all, e-signature simplified the entire process of entering a online, and this is something revolutionary.

Protect Your E-signature

A lot of people have already been executing their e-signature on a regular basis, even if we are not aware that we do. If you are a frequent buyer from Amazon, then you are already executing your own digital signature as you check out books and other merchandise from the sites. Everyone has practically issued an e-signature at one point or another-perhaps, they are simply not aware that they’ve done so.

As with other conveniences, e-signatures can have its drawbacks. That is why anyone who is signing any certificate using a digital signature should be cautious. With the influx of malicious individuals online, you’ll never know who might be accessing your document as you are signing it or as it is in transit. It can be intercepted and despite the encryption technology that it brings, it can be utilized by identity theft criminals for their varied identity theft activities.

You should always be very careful and take full consideration of the contract that you are getting signing because any contract signed digitally is just as binding as anything that is done using the usual pen and paper. You also have to ensure that when you sign digital contracts, you are signing the contract against a legitimate and well-established e-signature service. You have to read the site’s end user policy or privacy policy so that you’ll know how your data will be treated, maintained and protected as soon as you have it signed. You can be sure that no one will mess up with your signature and use it for identity theft purposes.

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