13 ways you may be exposing yourself to fraud
Clark Howard - Alex Thomas Sadler - You could be exposing yourself to criminals & theft every time you…
1. Click a link in an email, pick up the phone or respond to a text: Scammers are everywhere, so it’s crucial to always be cautious when clicking on an email from an address you don’t know or recognize. If you receive an email from your bank or other company that has your personal information, don’t click on it. It could be a scam. Instead, log in to your account separately to check for any new notices. You can also call the company about the information sent via email. Responding to a text from a number you don’t recognize could also make any information stored in your phone vulnerable to hackers. And if you get a missed call on your cell phone from a number you don’t recognize, don’t call it back. Here’s what you need to know about this phone scam.
Read more: Hackers steal account info from 225,000 iPhone owners
2. Throw away documents with personal information: Don’t just toss out documents that have any of your personal information on them. Buy a paper shredder. Shred any documents listing your Social Security number and other financial information, such as your bank account numbers and credit card numbers. This is the number one way of preventing identity theft. Here’s a list of which documents you should keep and which ones you should get rid of.
3. Use easy-to-hack passwords: Make sure your passwords are strong and unique for every account you access online. NEVER use the same password for your banking information that you use for any other site! Use a personal system that’s easy for you to remember — but will help keep your accounts secure. Here are some ways to store your passwords — and keep them safe.
4. Fail to check your credit report: All Americans are entitled to one free credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — upon request every 12 months. Here’s why you need to check your credit score and report.
Read more: Clark’s Identity Theft Guide
5. Carry a check book around with you: Don’t do it — pay with cash or credit instead.
6. Swipe your debit card: Debit cards carry a lot of hidden dangers, so if you have one, make sure you are aware of those risks. Here are 9 places you should never use a debit card.
Read more: Easy way to know if your account has been compromised
7. Give out your Social Security number: Companies and institutions ask for our Social Security numbers like they’re handing out a piece of candy. Unfortunately, they do a mediocre to terrible job of securing the number, depending on the industry. Identity theft at doctor’s offices, hospitals, and other medical providers, as well as at universities, is booming. Here are the 10 worst places to give your Social Security number and how to prevent identity theft at medical offices.
8. Fail to check your bank account on a daily basis: Checking your bank statements daily not only allows you to keep up with your purchases and current balance, but also allows you to check for any transactions that don’t look familiar. Here’s more on why you should be checking every day.
9. Use a free, public Wi-Fi network: Scammers can easily steal your information when you’re using an unsecured network. If you use a public computer, make sure to always completely log out of every website and the computer itself. When it comes to using free Wi-Fi networks, never sign in to any of your accounts that contain sensitive personal information, such as your bank account or any account that contains your bank, debit or credit card information. Here are more tips to protect yourself from scammers on public Wi-Fi.
10. Forget to check your medical bills: If you don’t check your medical bills, you could be paying fees for things you shouldn’t have been charged for! Here’s what to look out for and how to avoid those extra charges.
11. Fail to secure your devices (smartphone, tablet, laptop): Secure your smartphone, tablet and laptop with a unique password. And if your devices are set to connect to Wi-Fi automatically, be cautious of the information stored in each gadget, because if scammers can get to it, they will.
12. Shop online: If you shop online a lot, make sure to do some research on the site you’re purchasing from and always use a credit card. If something goes wrong, a credit card offers a lot more protections than a debit card.
13. Fail to monitor and/or freeze your credit: A great way to avoid identity theft is to use services that monitor and secure your credit. But don’t use companies that require huge fees, because they’re often over-hyped and you can get the same services for free or at a much cheaper price. Credit monitoring essentially puts fraud alerts on your credit files with the 3 main credit bureaus. These alerts are meant to raise a flag to potential creditors, alerting them to carefully verify an applicant’s identity before extending credit. You can get free credit monitoring through CreditKarma.com. An even safer option is to do a credit freeze. A credit freeze allows you to seal your credit reports so no new applications for credit can be initiated in your name without your knowledge. When you do a credit freeze with the 3 main credit bureaus, you get a PIN that only you know. Freezing your credit files has no impact whatsoever on your existing lines of credit, such as credit cards. You can continue to use them as you regularly would even when your credit is frozen. Here’s more on how and why you should freeze your credit.
http://clark.com/personal-finance-credi ... eft-fraud/
1. Click a link in an email, pick up the phone or respond to a text: Scammers are everywhere, so it’s crucial to always be cautious when clicking on an email from an address you don’t know or recognize. If you receive an email from your bank or other company that has your personal information, don’t click on it. It could be a scam. Instead, log in to your account separately to check for any new notices. You can also call the company about the information sent via email. Responding to a text from a number you don’t recognize could also make any information stored in your phone vulnerable to hackers. And if you get a missed call on your cell phone from a number you don’t recognize, don’t call it back. Here’s what you need to know about this phone scam.
Read more: Hackers steal account info from 225,000 iPhone owners
2. Throw away documents with personal information: Don’t just toss out documents that have any of your personal information on them. Buy a paper shredder. Shred any documents listing your Social Security number and other financial information, such as your bank account numbers and credit card numbers. This is the number one way of preventing identity theft. Here’s a list of which documents you should keep and which ones you should get rid of.
3. Use easy-to-hack passwords: Make sure your passwords are strong and unique for every account you access online. NEVER use the same password for your banking information that you use for any other site! Use a personal system that’s easy for you to remember — but will help keep your accounts secure. Here are some ways to store your passwords — and keep them safe.
4. Fail to check your credit report: All Americans are entitled to one free credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — upon request every 12 months. Here’s why you need to check your credit score and report.
Read more: Clark’s Identity Theft Guide
5. Carry a check book around with you: Don’t do it — pay with cash or credit instead.
6. Swipe your debit card: Debit cards carry a lot of hidden dangers, so if you have one, make sure you are aware of those risks. Here are 9 places you should never use a debit card.
Read more: Easy way to know if your account has been compromised
7. Give out your Social Security number: Companies and institutions ask for our Social Security numbers like they’re handing out a piece of candy. Unfortunately, they do a mediocre to terrible job of securing the number, depending on the industry. Identity theft at doctor’s offices, hospitals, and other medical providers, as well as at universities, is booming. Here are the 10 worst places to give your Social Security number and how to prevent identity theft at medical offices.
8. Fail to check your bank account on a daily basis: Checking your bank statements daily not only allows you to keep up with your purchases and current balance, but also allows you to check for any transactions that don’t look familiar. Here’s more on why you should be checking every day.
9. Use a free, public Wi-Fi network: Scammers can easily steal your information when you’re using an unsecured network. If you use a public computer, make sure to always completely log out of every website and the computer itself. When it comes to using free Wi-Fi networks, never sign in to any of your accounts that contain sensitive personal information, such as your bank account or any account that contains your bank, debit or credit card information. Here are more tips to protect yourself from scammers on public Wi-Fi.
10. Forget to check your medical bills: If you don’t check your medical bills, you could be paying fees for things you shouldn’t have been charged for! Here’s what to look out for and how to avoid those extra charges.
11. Fail to secure your devices (smartphone, tablet, laptop): Secure your smartphone, tablet and laptop with a unique password. And if your devices are set to connect to Wi-Fi automatically, be cautious of the information stored in each gadget, because if scammers can get to it, they will.
12. Shop online: If you shop online a lot, make sure to do some research on the site you’re purchasing from and always use a credit card. If something goes wrong, a credit card offers a lot more protections than a debit card.
13. Fail to monitor and/or freeze your credit: A great way to avoid identity theft is to use services that monitor and secure your credit. But don’t use companies that require huge fees, because they’re often over-hyped and you can get the same services for free or at a much cheaper price. Credit monitoring essentially puts fraud alerts on your credit files with the 3 main credit bureaus. These alerts are meant to raise a flag to potential creditors, alerting them to carefully verify an applicant’s identity before extending credit. You can get free credit monitoring through CreditKarma.com. An even safer option is to do a credit freeze. A credit freeze allows you to seal your credit reports so no new applications for credit can be initiated in your name without your knowledge. When you do a credit freeze with the 3 main credit bureaus, you get a PIN that only you know. Freezing your credit files has no impact whatsoever on your existing lines of credit, such as credit cards. You can continue to use them as you regularly would even when your credit is frozen. Here’s more on how and why you should freeze your credit.
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