Take a look at our blog and see how you can always be fortifying your life! Be sure to check out our Financial Resource Center for more self-help tips or watch some of our new short videos on Financial Education! And don't forget about our library of Financial Calculators.
It's October, and it's Cybersecurity Awareness Month!
It's time to remind ourselves that cybersecurity isn't just the responsibility of large companies with massive amounts of customer data; it's also our responsibility - mine, yours, and all of ours. In all situations it's critical to be aware of and attempt to prevent cyber threats. It sounds daunting, but it really doesn't have to be.
Child identity theft isn’t something we often think about. However, it occurs more often than you might expect. According to Javelin’s Child Identity Fraud Report, child identity theft affects 1.25 million kids every year, which translates to about one in 50 children in America. When you see those numbers, it becomes apparent that we must act now to protect the children in our lives.
We live in an increasingly digital world. People use devices and technology to shop for everything from groceries and clothing to furniture and electronics. We sign in to multiple websites and apps to communicate and share photos with family and friends, manage personal and business finances, plan vacations, and everything in between. While increased accessibility helps make so many activities quick and convenient, having so much of our personal information online leaves us vulnerable to cyber criminals who are eager to steal and benefit from our personal information. As the multitude of online services has expanded, so has the rate of fraudsters engaging in identity theft.
In today's digital age, protecting your identity and personal information is more crucial than ever before. With the increasing frequency of data breaches and identity theft incidents, we understand the importance of providing you with comprehensive solutions to keep your financial assets and personal data secure.
Happy World Password Day! Your passwords are the keys to your life. And when it feels like there’s another big security breach every week, you want to be sure those passwords are strong and safe. Check out these six steps for super-strong passwords that will keep scammers guessing.
In our ongoing commitment to your financial safety, Fort Financial is dedicated to providing you with valuable insights on how to protect yourself from potential financial fraud. While fraud is a year-round challenge, being informed and vigilant can significantly reduce the risk to your financial well-being.
The holidays are here and so is all those online deals! But are they too good to be true? Buying fake products online is a common concern for many shoppers. Often if an online offer sounds too good to be true, it is. Here are some tips to help you avoid purchasing counterfeit items:
Few of us can imagine going a day without using our cellphones. For many people, it’s become their preferred method of communicating and doing business. Scammers take advantage of our reliance on cellphones and use them to trick us into giving them our personal information. It’s important to be aware of the kinds of scams they use.
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are a convenient way to access your funds using your debit card. That convenience also appeals to crooks. For that reason, it’s important to learn how to access your funds safely and protect them from being accessible by others.
The deadline to file your federal taxes is coming up, and the bad guys pretending to be the IRS are popping back up as well. Being contacted by the IRS is probably one of the scariest things most people can think of, whether it be for an audit or collections. The truth is, it shouldn’t be scary at all. You have rights, and the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) has strict guidelines they must follow. However, scammers have taken advantage of that fear to trick people out of millions of dollars. Here are some things to know to avoid scams.
Identity theft happens to millions of people each year, no matter how high or low their checking account balance. No one is immune. And with over 15.4 million identity theft cases in 2016, it’s one of the fastest growing crimes in the world. Depending on how long the fraudulent activity (that means it’s illegal and done by someone claiming to be another person) has gone on undetected, it can take months or years to sort out the mess and get the victim’s life back on track.
Time isn’t the only cost of identity theft. Victims also suffer two forms of financial loss: direct and indirect. Direct loss is the money stolen or misused by the thief from banking or savings and investment accounts. Indirect loss includes other costs like legal fees, overdraft charges, harm to their credit score, or time missed from work to combat the fraudulent activity.
We have been made aware that members are receiving scam calls from people impersonating Fort Financial employees. The scammers are spoofing the Fort Financial number in the caller ID and telling members that their debit card has fraud on it and that they need to get it shut down. The scammers are telling members that the fraud is happening in Georgia and asking for their account and Social Security numbers in order to get access to their accounts.
