Ask An Ambassador
- Friday Fraud Evasion Steps -
Be Aware - 1/22/21
Avoid FRAUD - Be AWARE!
Posting about FRAUD is both easy and difficult. Easy because there are so many examples. Difficult to know which aspect to choose first.
Probably best to start with email - lots to review there.
Does your email address include any of your birthday data?
Identity theft is a serious problem in the US and around the world. We learn in a statement from InfoArmor that identity theft "...creates a problem that can't be solved overnight or even in a few weeks. On average, it can take between 100 and 200 hours and six months to fix."
Thieves need to obtain our data to take over. Using any part of your birth information only makes their job easier. While the most frequent identity theft crimes are financial ones, medical and child identity thefts can cause problems as well.
Financial identity theft can impact home buyers when applying for a Mortgage loan. Payment history makes up about 35% of a Credit Rating score. If the thieves have opened accounts and not paid the bills, your Credit Rating score can take a direct hit.
Do you use two-factor authentication to protect your email? For the longest time, if signed up for that, one had to open an email to retrieve a six-digit code. Then type that in to verify that you yourself were opening the email. Now the program only asks (via text to your cell phone) "Are you signing into email?" Click on word YES and then your email can be opened.
Adds security for sure. Not difficult to set-up. Two-Factor for safety.
What else?
Do you have two-factor authentication on your financial accounts?
Is your home internet access subject to hacking?
Do you have data protection on your cell phone?
Are your financial passwords recorded on your phone?
The next Fraud Awareness post will deal with the annoying phishing emails which have become more and more sophisticated.
All the best - Lynn
Icons courtesy of Royston Lee, Digital Finance Collection
Comments(6)