“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” – Ben Franklin
About 22 years ago, someone broke into my wife’s car and stole her purse. They took her checkbook, wrote fraudulent checks and sold blank checks to others. As you can imagine, it was a mess. Took her years to get everything clean — also known as “the pound of cure”. Today, we carry with digital “checkbooks” in our smartphone and on our computer.
My intention today is to share with you an “ounce” of ways you can reduce your chances of identity theft and Cybersecurity hacks.
1. Protect Your Mobile Account With a PIN – Call your mobile carrier to set this up. For any changes to be made to your account, you need to input this PIN. One hacker method is to move your phone number over to another network. These hackers use your phone to get security PINs to log into your accounts.
2. Lock Your Phone With a Passcode – Only 50% of people do this and your phone has a lot of personal and financial data on it.
3. Use a “Find My Phone” Program
4. Update the Software and Apps regularly – Do NOT click on an email to remind you to update software. Go to the app store or the app itself. Scammers use email to put malware on your devices.
5. Back Up Your Phone Regularly – If something does happen, you can reset your phone and then back it up.
6. Connect to the Internet with Caution – Use public WiFi networks with caution. Do NOT sign into your financial institutions on this type of network. Hackers could spy on you from spoofed Wi-Fi networks.
7. Encrypt Your Communications – Send private information only through secure means like Secure email and text. Check with your phone’s manual or service provider to see which works best for you.
8. Create a secret email address for your financial accounts and set it up with the strongest security settings.
9. Create a text alert on all of your bank accounts and credit cards.
10. Place credit freezes on your all three reporting agencies: Transunion, Experian and Equifax.
If you are going to work hard to make and save money, you may as well take some steps to protect it. Let me know if you have any questions. Feel free to call me at 843- 970-1049 or email at Je****@Ri*********.com or CLICK HERE to setup a 15 min phone appointment.
On the lighter side, my back is feeling better. I have continued to swim and started running and biking a little. I do not know what is going to happen in the Ironman on September 18th. I will just do what my coach says. My intention is the get healthy, stay healthy and do the best I can.
Elliott is going to be a junior in high school. Wow. Time flies. Enjoy the moments the best you can. Moments are all we have.
Hope all is well with you and your family,
Jeremy Finger, CFP®, CIMA®, CRPC®, CPFA
Founder & CEO
Wealth Management Advisor
Finger Financial Five – 5 points in 5 minutes or less – is to provide you with a weekly shot of useful financial information. My intention is to share principles, so that you will have more clarity and peace, that help you make better financial decisions.
Book 15 Minute Phone Appointment – CLICK HERE
Direct: (843) 970-1049
Cell: (843) 222-6602
Email: Je****@Ri*********.com
1111 48th Ave. North, Parkway Office Plaza, Ste. 114
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
www.RiverbendWealthManagement.com
Investment advice offered through Stratos Wealth Advisors, LLC, a registered investment advisor; DBA Riverbend Wealth Management.
This content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information and provided by Riverbend Wealth Management. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. Stratos Wealth Partners and its affiliates do not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.
