March is fraud prevention month and living with an auditor, it’s a conversation that comes up a lot in our house. While discussions on fraud aren’t the most glamorous – neither is someone taking advantage of you or your loved ones. I believe knowledge is power, and with fast-paced nature of today’s online world, we’re more vulnerable than ever.
In lieu of March being Fraud Prevention Month, today I’m collaborating with Capital One to share some tips to help you and your loved ones protect yourselves from fraud and identity theft. Special thanks to Capital One for sponsoring this post and sharing some of their recent data!
Nearly 4 in 10 Canadians have either been a victim of or know someone who has been affected by fraud or identity theft.
I don’t know about you dearest blog reader, but I would not want to fall on the wrong side of that statistic! I often think about our aging population who maybe aren’t as online savvy as us millennials, and on the flip side of that, sharing information is second nature for many of us so we might not even realize we’re sharing potentially harmful information.
“Digital interactions and engagement have become second nature today, allowing us to conduct transactions in an instant, but the risks of fraud and
identity theft can be a real source of concern for many Canadians,” says Mark Snyder, VP, Decision Sciences, Capital One Canada
Knowledge is power. No one wants to be taken advantage of or fall victim to fraud or identity theft so I’ve shared below some tips to keep you and your loved ones safe. You might already be doing some of these things, and if so, GREAT – this is the perfect reminder you’re on the right track, but if not, let’s get that to-do list started!! A lot of these suggestions may seem obvious but you might be sharing information without even realizing. Let’s dive in!
EASY WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FRAUD
Keep your credit card number private.
Don’t read you card out loud in a public place and don’t share or lend your card to anyone.
Your PIN should be kept private
Only you should know it. I know this is a thing of convenience and oftentimes, it’s easier to hand it to your significant other or a friend, but your PIN number is not something that should be shared.
Make your passwords difficult
This might make it harder on you, and I know it’s tricky for the seniors in our lives, but it’s important. Always make sure your password is hard to guess and complex. And don’t repeat them across accounts!
Avoid sharing identifying personal information on social media
We do this without even realizing. Social media is a great way to connect with others, but when we share sensitive information we also could be making ourselves extremely vulnerable.
Be cautious when it comes to sharing personal information such as your date of birth, address and phone number online. One of ways you can reveal this information without realizing is through posts that get super trendy on social media like “10 things about me”. Be careful of sharing information about schools you attended, your third-grade teacher, first pets name etc! These are often security questions and you could be sharing them willy nilly all over the place online and not even realizing you just gave someone access to your accounts.
Alert your bank and Canada Post of any address changes
When moving, there are so many loose ends to tie up, and so many things to keep track of, but you’ll want to do this as quickly as possible. You want to make sure your statements and mail are being sent to the right address. If possible, consider going paperless to avoid leaving a paper trail with your personal information.
Monitor your Credit Score
Take advantage of free credit monitoring tools like Credit Keeper from Capital One, providing a weekly credit score update to help identify unexpected changes to your credit score. Monitoring your credit score not only helps you know where you’re at financially but can also be an early indication of fraudulent activity on one or more accounts.
Sign Up for Alerts with your Bank
Alerts will help you stay on top of your account. I actually love this because we can’t be logging into our accounts every second of the day – it’s just not possible. Opting into two-way communication with
financial institutions through email or text message is a critical step to help Canadians detect unusual account activity in real-time. Two-way fraud alerts help to identity unauthorized transactions in real-time and prompt customer for a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response to verify transactions opting for alerts can give you (a) peace of mind, and (b) let you know if something is suspicious right away.
Be Aware of Phishing Scams
Including phone calls, text messages and emails – never share your login information or passwords.You can learn more about Capital One and their tips to protect yourself from fraud and identity theft by
clicking here. If you think this post would be helpful for someone you know be sure to share it with them!! Let’s keep the conversation flowing and keep everyone safe. It can’t hurt right?? For those of us who spend a lot of time online we might think this stuff is common knowledge, but it’s not!! It still happens every day which means this conversation is a necessary one to have.
If you’re interested in learning more about Capital One here are some of their fraud prevention features they have some amazing protocols in place. You can learn more by clicking here.
If you think this post would be helpful for someone you know be sure to share it with them!! Let’s keep the conversation flowing and keep everyone safe. It can’t hurt right?? For those of us who spend a lot of time online we might think this stuff is common knowledge, but it’s not!! It still happens everyday which means this conversation is a necessary one to have.
Thanks for reading! Stay safe out there!!
To learn more visit Capital One or check out their recent press release.
Special thanks to Katherine Gillis Photography for the images for today’s post!
xx
Kayla
Thanks for partnering with us on this post Capital One; as always, all opinions expressed are my own.
No Comments