What To Watch

Be Alert with your online accounts. It may save you from some theft and a lot of bigger problems if you are not alert.

As the advertisement for LifeLock repeats ad nauseam, “No one can prevent all identity theft or monitor all transactions at all businesses.” The word “all” is material. In other words, even if you only pay with cash, don’t turn on your computer, and avoid online banking and investing, LifeLock may not be able to stop the bad boys (and girls.) The problem is that sin is disgusting to the point of nausea. But there are four practical things you can and should consider doing.

Notice the fine print in the LifeLock advertisement.

First Suggestion Regarding Credit Cards

If you have any credit card accounts, monitor the transactions. I get an email for every charge that pops into our Amazon Chase VISA credit card. I also get a morning email every day that tells me our account balance. If it goes from $300 to $500 and Cindie and I have not made a purchase, then I get suspicious.

The same is true with our Fidelity Rewards VISA account. Sometimes I don’t get an alert about a charge. Therefore, every week I check the transaction history for the Fidelity VISA account.

Yesterday, after returning from Montana, I noticed a charge for “BLAZE.” After checking with Cindie to see if she had made an online purchase, I began the process of disputing the charge. Fidelity closed that account number yesterday, and UPS is delivering a new set of cards today.

This isn’t the first time this has happened, so I will have to update other accounts with the new credit card number. Because I have done it in the past, I have a list of the automatic payments so I can quickly update Sirius XM, the Illinois I-Pass account, and other similar service accounts like Simplisafe.

This is what I saw when I reviewed our VISA charge history yesterday.
Within minutes a new card was on its way.

Second Suggestion Regarding Email

Don’t click on links in Facebook or in email messages unless you are 200% certain that the website is legitimate. It is far, far better, and wiser, to go directly to a known website. For example, if I get an email saying it is from “Chase” I don’t login using any of the email links. Scammers are creative creatures, and they know how to use software to create images that look legitimate. In fact, I use software to create the images for my blog. It really isn’t that challenging.

Third Suggestion Regarding Travel

When I travel, I always have at least two active defenses running on my laptop. The first is McAfee Total Protection. Don’t be misled, as no piece of software really offers total protection. However, if you don’t have “real-time scanning, scheduled scans, advanced security, and browser security” then you are taking unnecessary risks. I know that the software works when I am using the internet. If it comes upon a questionable website, it asks me if I “really want to go there.” Even “Christian” websites can be corrupted.

Yes, this costs some money. But McAfee is another roadblock for thieves.

I also run a VPN – ExpressVPN. For example, I am at Middleton Ford getting an oil change for my brother-in-law’s Ford Escape. I am using their public Wi-Fi as I create this blog post. Any website I go to thinks I am in Seattle today. Why does this matter?

Express VPN on my laptop.

“A VPN, or virtual private network, is a secure tunnel between your device and the internet. VPNs protect you from snooping, interference, and censorship. As you connect to a secure VPN server, your internet traffic goes through an encrypted tunnel that nobody can see into—including hackers, governments, and your internet service provider.” – Express VPN

Fourth Suggestion Regarding Investment and Bank Accounts

I know this is a pain, but you should use technology and make things difficult for crooks. For example, to sign on to Fidelity using my iPhone, you need my fingerprint. I also use a password manager to help me pick really hard-to-break passwords. If your passwords don’t look something like this (JhCcy3thP6dFWWi) for your banking and investment accounts, then you are increasing your risks.

Furthermore, you should check your account balances and your statements at least monthly. I know this takes time but think about how much time you will spend if someone breaks into your financial accounts. An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cures.

Final Suggestion: Be vigilant. The wolves are always circling and they will attack without mercy if you are not ever watchful.