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Scroll Safely Protect your personal information from fraud by practicing the basics. By Megan Pflipsen
to reference. These suggested passwords are a good idea if you’re having a hard time coming up with something unique!
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aily activities we take part in online like shopping, banking and connecting with family, sometimes require personally identifiable information such as your name, date of birth, passwords and location. It’s important to protect that information — and yourself against fraud. First and foremost, remember to always think twice before sharing personal information online. As simple as this may sound, it’s a mindset that’s key to
Contributor ________ Megan Pflipsen is assistant vice president, retail manager and personal lender at Gate City Bank
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reducing the risk of becoming a victim of fraud. There are also many other best practices to help keep you protected. Shake Up Your Password Protocol Use the longest password or passphrase permissible, and use a mix of numbers, letters and special characters. The idea is to make your passwords hard to deduce, as well as to not use the same password for multiple sites. Strong passwords can prevent cybercriminals from gaining access to your accounts, as well as protect you in the event of a breach. Pro Tip: Some smartphones can suggest complex passwords and store them in your locked device
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Never Click and Tell Limit what personal information you post on social media. Many people don’t realize that seemingly random and minor details about themselves are all that criminals need to target them — both online and in the outside world. Keep Social Security numbers, account numbers and passwords private, as well as specific information about yourself, such as your full name, address, birthday and even vacation plans. For example, if you post that you’re currently on vacation, you could be making your home a marked location for criminals who now know that you’re away. And on that note, wait to post photos of your trip until after you’ve returned home. Stay Protected While Connected Before you connect to any public wireless hotspot — such as at an airport, hotel or café — think twice about whether or not the network is legitimate and secure. (More often than not, public Wi-Fi isn’t.) If you do use an unsecured public access point, avoid sensitive activities (e.g., banking) that require passwords, credit cards, etc. Demand Privacy Online Only use sites that begin with “https://” when online shopping
or banking. The “s” stands for “secure” in this instance, often signifying that a site has implemented robust safety protocols for online security. Close It Out When you’re done with such digital activities as online banking, placing an order or something similar, it’s always a good idea to sign out and completely close the window you were in. This helps prevent anyone from piggybacking on your account to purchase additional items or engage in other malicious activities. Know Your History It’s important to understand which websites have been safe for you in the past. Continue to vet them each time you use them! Is the URL the same? Does the order process look similar to last time? Is the phone number local? Or even within the U.S.? Sometimes fraudsters and criminals make duplicate websites that mirror legitimate websites almost perfectly. It’s important to ensure you’re only sharing information (including account details) with the right sites to prevent fraud on your accounts. The best thing you can do today is to continue to educate yourself about fraud prevention. By staying vigilant and knowing what red flags to watch for, fraud will never have the final say.