Protect Your Financial Identity
Every year, thousands of unsuspecting individuals are targeted for fraud and
identity theft in a number of ways via mail, telephone, the internet, conversations—
even sifting through victims’ trash. We’ve all heard the horror stories resulting
from these scams. Hopefully, the gruesome details convinced you to heed warnings
from financial institutions, credit card companies and government agencies to take
basic necessary precautions for protecting your good name and credit. But are you
doing enough to keep your identity secure? Storing personal records in a safe place,
shredding financial documents, protecting passwords and not opening suspect
computer files or email from unknown sources are a good start. But there are also
less obvious suggestions you may want to consider to safeguard your personal
information.
Have your full name and birth information removed from professional
directories. These biographical dictionaries, such as “Who’s Who” listings, typically
include: full name, contact address, occupation, date and place of birth, family
background, education summary, career profiles, memberships, awards, military
service, religion, political activities and other information. Most content is public
in nature. However, listing your full name and date of birth is considered risky.
Contact the source to remove sensitive information.
Monitor credit history, inquiries and changes by ordering a free credit
report once a year. With the passage of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions
Act (FACT) in December 2003, you are entitled to receive one free copy of your
credit report from each credit reporting agency (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion)
during any 12-month period. Order your free annual credit report onUne at www.
annualcreditreport.com, by calling 877-322-8228 or by completing the Annual
Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to: Annual Credit Report Request
Service, RO. Box 105283, Atlanta, GA 30348-5283.
Destroy hard drives or memory cards with personal information before
disposing or donating personal electronic equipment or devices. Wireless
devices such as PDAs and cell phones should have the internal memory reset
to ensure that all personal data is removed (most devices of this nature have a
reset button—simply removing a battery from devices does not always delete the
information). Be sure to check with your waste management service/recycling
company to follow proper environmentally safe guidehnes for disposing of this
type of equipment.
Examine your supply of checks to determine if any have been stolen. If your
home or office is burglarized, look closely at your supply of checks. Often thieves
will take one or two checks from the middle or back of a book of checks, making
it more difficult to discover they are missing. Immediately reporting lost or stolen
checks to your financial institution may decrease potential losses. Another tip:
never leave your checkbook in your vehicle.
When you are on your computer, seek out secure web sites. Look for signs of
a secure website such as a web address that begins with https instead of http
and the display of a “closed lock” in the status bar at the bottom of the screen. In
Chused & Associates, CPAs PA
Andy Chused, CPA
Tax Planning/Tax Preparation
New Clients Wecome
Call us at (252) 727-5600 • Fax (252) 726-5190
305 Commerce Ave„ Suite 102 • Morehead City, NC 28557
www.chusedcpa.com • andy@chusedcpa.com
most cases, these will indicate that your information is secure during transmission.
However, malicious software can actually make a site look secure even when it is
not, so it is always best to type in a website address whenever possible instead of
clicking on links in emails or being directed from other web sites.
Be cautious and limit your access to your personal and confidential
information on public computers. Malicious software may be installed to obtain
your account number and sign-on information, leaving you vulnerable to fraud.
And whether you are on a computer at home, work or in a public facility, always
remember to log out of online sessions that require you to use a password or
login process and close out the browser. Unauthorized transactions and activity
can occur if you leave your online session accessible to other people. Whenever
possible, particularly in public facilities, reboot the computer to clear out any
additional traces of your information that might be in memory.
Assistance to victims of identity theft. Contact your financial institution
immediately if you suspect that someone has had unauthorized access to your
account(s) or access to your personal identifying information such as your
Social Security number or credit card information. In addition, you should also
report the crime to your local law enforcement agency and to the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC). To speak with a trained FTC telephone counselor, call toll-free
at 877-IDTHEFT (438-4338). To enter information about your complaint into a
secure FTC online database, sign onto www.ftc.gov/idtheft. The site also provides
links to numerous consumer education materials.
For more information or suggestions on how to protect your personal data and
financial records, contact your financial advisor today.
This article was written by Wells Fargo Advisors ©2014 and provided courtesy of
Greg Patterson, Financial Advisor in Morehead City at 726-1114.
These suggestions are not all-inclusive and should not be considered nor
interpreted as legal, accounting, financial or technical advice. You may wish to
consult your attorney, accountant or other advisor for specific advice, guidance or
recommendations concerning these topics.
We are living on this planet
as if we have another one to go to.
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE.
8 The Shoreline I May 2014