A recent article1 on Marketplace.org spoke about both the seriousness and the frequency of financial fraud. If you’re one of the few who has not been a victim yourself, chances are good that you know someone who has been.
You should take a few moments to check out the article (link below). Rather than re-hash it all here, we thought we'd share a few pointers on keeping your identity and your finances safe. Some may seem obvious, but hey…you never know:
- Avoid clicking on suspicious links, text, or emails.
- Monitor your financial accounts regularly (we have alerts set up on bank accounts that go off almost every day).
- Enable two-factor authentication on your personal accounts where possible.
- Use strong, unique passwords.
- Check your credit report regularly (perhaps monthly); look for errors…they sure are made from time to time.
- Shred sensitive documents before disposing of them.
- Set up spam filters on your phone, text messages, and emails.
- Report suspicious activity or charges to your bank ASAP.
This is not meant to be an all-inclusive list; nor is it a guarantee that nothing bad will happen. It’s our friendly reminder that steps like these can, at the very least, reduce your chances of being victim.
1 https://www.marketplace.org/story/2025/03/03/two-thirds-of-americans-have-been-victims-of-fraud-or-a-scam-survey-finds