Stop Cyber Fraud!

Given the digital world of today, it is up to you to keep your personal information safe from bad actors. Institutions and organizations do their best to protect your information, but cyber fraud is on the uptick. It’s important that you do all you can to avoid being a victim.

Place a Freeze on Credit

Freezing your credit ensures no one can open accounts in your name using your Social Security number. You can do this simple process online or by calling the major credit bureaus. You can lift a credit freeze for a day or a specific time period when you open a new account or a third party tries to verify your credit, so be sure to keep your security PIN.

Pro tip: Remind your young adult children that employers often run a background check during the job offer phase of new employment, so they will need to lift their credit freeze temporarily.

Review your Credit Report

Request a credit report and review the entries once a year. Verify the accounts listed are all active and yours. Close accounts that are no longer used.

Organize Passwords & Use Multifactor Authentication

One frustration of modern life is needing usernames and passwords for almost every online activity. It’s a lot to manage! Setting up unique and complex passwords is important. If a bad actor breaches one account and you reuse passwords, they can quickly access multiple accounts, reset passwords, and block your access.

Maintain a list of important websites with usernames and passwords. Consider also adding combinations to safes, the location of the lockbox key, and your cellphone PIN. All of this allows a loved one access if you are incapacitated. If you keep the list digitally, password-protect the file. If the list is handwritten, keep it somewhere secure. Update lists at least every six months.

Alternatively, use password management software. These applications store countless username/password combinations, allowing you to create long complex passwords with no repetition. You only need to remember a master password for your account.

Another security option is to use multi-factor authentication (MFA) on financial, healthcare, social media, cloud storage, and email accounts. After entering your user and password, MFA requires a second approval, generally via your cell phone.

Pro tip: Take the time to set up an authenticator app, which is generally more secure and less vulnerable to phone number theft or SIM swapping scams.

Maintain & Update Computer System

Here is a sample of the actions you can take to ensure your technology is maintained properly:

• Enable automatic updates
  
  
• Remove software you no longer use
  
  
• Verify antivirus software is active
  
  
• Restart devices regularly to complete security updates
  
  
• Change the default settings on Wi-Fi routers and ensure the latest operating system is installed (You can find online videos and instructions by specific device make/model.)
  
  
• Periodically delete your email’s Sent folder items and delete any emails in your Inbox or Trash that contain sensitive information (PII or account-related information)

Be Alert to Common Scams

There is a constant barrage of phishing attempts and scams by bad actors trying to gain access to your computer network or online accounts. It is a good reminder to slow down, verify a sender’s email address, and not open attachments or click on links if you do not know the sender or are not expecting the email.

It is also better to verify information through legitimate sources, for example, log into your account with the vendor to see when a package was shipped instead of clicking on the “track my package” link in an email.

Pro Tip: Phishing attacks - malicious attempts to steal data or spread malware - often contain spelling mistakes, poor grammar, threatening or urgent language, attachments or links, and are typically sent from email addresses that do not look familiar.

Add a Legacy Contact

If you store data in the cloud using Google or iCloud, consider adding a Legacy Contact. The same applies to Facebook users. A Legacy Contact allows the designated person access to digital assets such as photos, videos, and files. Your Legacy Contact can also close those accounts after your death. Like unused credit accounts, dormant accounts can let thieves access your personal information, which they can use to breach accounts.

Conclusion

Anyone can fall victim to identity theft – the Federal Trade Commission recorded an astounding 1.3 million cases last year. Taking the above steps will not guarantee your digital security, but they will provide a measure of protection for you and your family members.

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