News stories about floods, earthquakes and other calamities may make you wonder if you are prepared to keep your home and family physically safe. But here’s another question to consider. What about your financial safety? Advance planning can offer peace of mind, so use this checklist to help you sleep better.
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You may have heard news coverage about how Epsilon, an online marketing firm, was hacked in April 2011, exposing the names and email addresses of an unknown number of consumers—customers at major banks and retailers such as Citigroup, Capital One, Walgreens and Best Buy to name a few. Fortunately the information stolen in this security breach apparently did not include financial information, such as credit card data or account numbers. While chances are slim that you’ve been affected, I’d like you to remain aware of the risks of such a security breach and how you can protect yourself and your finances.

Now that a hacker has obtained names and email addresses of American consumers, what might happen? They could “phish” away! “Phishing” is a scam where thieves send an email message claiming to be a legitimate business in an attempt to get the recipient to surrender private information. Often the messages ask recipients to “update”, “validate” or “confirm” information about their account.

“Spear-phishing” is a more targeted scam, which can happen when thieves already have a person’s name, email address and know where someone shops or banks. A “spear-phishing” attack can come in the form of sophisticated email messages, text messages or web sites designed to steal financial data or spread malicious software, known as malware. The email messages or websites may look like they are for a legitimate company, but they are not. They are fakes designed to trick you into providing your personal information so thieves can steal your identity, your money and commit crimes in your name.

Here’s what you should do to protect yourself:

Be Skeptical. You were taught to be wary of strangers from a young age and that lesson holds true now in the digital age. If you don’t know who an email message is from, don’t open it. In particular, don’t click on a link in an email message if you don’t know the sender.

Use Common Sense. Never share personal or account information by email and never respond to an email asking for this information, no matter how urgent the message sounds. You should confirm the legitimacy of such a message by calling the company directly to ask why you received the request.

Remain Aware. Look carefully at email messages and websites for key differences. Phishing email messages are often generic instead of personalized and usually contain grammar and spelling errors. Valid websites use encryption to securely transfer sensitive information and have addresses that begin with https:// rather than http:// and also use a lock icon in the browser window, NOT in the website itself. Often companies will publicize examples of fraudulent email messages to their customers when they become aware of them.

Log In and Log Out. You should log into your financial accounts regularly to monitor your transactions. When you do log in to a secure account, don’t leave your computer unattended. When you are done with your online access, don’t just close your browser window, but log out properly.

While companies do their best to safeguard their customer’s personal information, nothing beats your own diligence and attentiveness to keep you from falling prey to the latest scam artist.

While most people know about—and take precautions against—identity theft, the serious and far-reaching risks of medical identity theft are less documented, less understood and less mitigated. Because the effects of medical identity theft can reach both your finances and your health, it is important that you know how to protect yourself, as well as what to do if you suspect you have been a victim.
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You’re careful to shred your paper documents to avoid the risk of personal information getting into the wrong hands. But what about your electronic data? Before you donate or throw away an old computer, a CD, or a pen drive, it’s critical that you make sure your personal and financial information is truly destroyed.
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