Every year, millions of people are the victim of attempted and actual fraud or identity theft. Your personal information including your credit card account information is being transmitted over a variety of new channels, and your risk exposure for fraud is increasing dramatically.
Many major companies with relatively secure infrastructures have experienced massive data breaches, leaving consumers’ information vulnerable to misuse. In addition, criminals have become more creative in how they target individuals for fraud. Now more than ever, it’s essential that you take steps to protect yourself. Here are a couple of the most important things that you can do to defend yourself against fraud.
Get Fraud Protection
When you’re evaluating how to fight fraud effectively, you should consider enlisting expert help with fraud and identity theft protection. A full-service fraud protection plan will monitor your credit and alert you of suspicious activity, so you don’t have to worry about checking it continuously. Should any type of fraud or identity theft occur, you can have immediate access to help in correcting it.
Beware of Phone Scams
Recently, robocalls have been an increasingly common vehicle for fraud schemes. Usually, it consists of a fraudulent message that’s sent out to thousands of people warning them that they better respond with their personal information or a payment or else they’ll be in trouble.
In some instances, the calls actually tell people that they have been the victim of fraud and they need to take action to prevent a freeze on their social security account. In actuality, it’s an attempt to gain access to your personal social security information. A similar scheme tells people that they owe money to the IRS and must act right away to avoid criminal prosecution.
If you get a phone call with a pre-recorded message telling you that you owe the IRS money and you better call and pay it or someone will come to arrest you, be aware that it’s definitely a fraud attempt. The IRS will never phone you to demand money or threaten you with incarceration.
Don’t Open Attachments in Suspicious Emails
If you receive an email from an unfamiliar sender, don’t open the attachment. It may contain a virus, malware, or ransomware that could be used to appropriate your financial data.
Take a proactive approach to safeguard yourself from fraud identity theft by getting expert-level protection and being conscientious about phone and email scams. You can have peace of mind knowing that you're ready to fight back against fraud.
