Leading up to the Newark Financial Scams seminar on November 17th, here’s another helpful hint on making sure that you protect yourself from identity theft and scams. Technology has advanced to the point that many people use the internet, sometimes exclusively, to pay bills and make purchases – especially with the gift giving season quickly approaching. What steps can you take to make sure that you are safe, and that your sensitive information is protected? Follow these easy guidelines to ensure that Santa doesn’t bring you a damaged credit report, and loads of unauthorized transactions this Holiday season. When making a purchase, or entering sensitive information on the internet, make sure that you have a secure, or “encrypted”, connection. It’s easy to tell – just look at the web address, and check the beginning. It should say either or https://. If the prefix contains the “S”, you have a secure connection, and any data you send will be encrypted. Always use good judgment, and enter personal information only on trusted, reputable websites with a secure connection. Also, make sure that you never enter any personal information on a link sent to you by email. These are called “phishing scams”. The identity thief will send you an email with a link, stating that they are with a financial institution, and that you need to enter your personal information to ‘confirm your identity’. The link and email will sometimes look very legitimate – it might contain the institutions official logo, but be very cautious. If you are in doubt, delete the email – and never click on the link! If you have received a suspicious email, the Federal Trade Commission is the best place to report it. Head to https://ftccomplaintassistant.gov. (Note the “S” in the prefix?)
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 16:20:36 +0000
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