October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and what a great time to revisit such an important subject. Last month’s data security breach at Equifax has put millions of Americans at risk for credit fraud, and I wanted to remind you of a few principles when it comes to detecting threats to your identity and credit:
- Verify any and all requests for personal data online, regardless of the requestor.
- Monitor all accounts regularly to look for charges you didn’t make.
- Use the web addresses you know instead of clicking an email link.
- Limit the times your payment cards are scanned out of sight.
- Logout when done on secure sites.
I highly suggest putting a Fraud Alert in place with one of the major credit companies, like Transunion or Experian, so you can play defense against this very real threat to our financial security. I also suggest going paperless whenever possible, so you can cut down on your paper trail & further limit your exposure to identity theft.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!