Topic
Identity Theft
Beware of Scams Targeting Military Members
Active-duty military members, their families, and military veterans deserve our gratitude for their service to the country. Unfortunately, scammers feel differently. While there is no shortage of financial scams targeting many demographics, scams aimed at service members and their families are especially egregious. According to the most recent information available from the Federal Trade Commission, […]
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How to Spot Work-from-Home Scams
Working from home is here to stay. Unfortunately, so are scams that take advantage of it. With promises of high salaries and easy work, these scams are designed to drain your bank account or steal your identity. That’s not to say there aren’t legitimate opportunities to work at home. But you have to do your […]
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6 Steps for Handling Credit Card Fraud
If you pay your credit card bills every month without fully reviewing your statements, you could be missing signs of credit card fraud. Sometimes it’s a standalone crime, but many times it can be one of the early signs of identity theft. Either way, it’s important to spot it quickly and take action to remedy […]
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5 Easy Ways to Cut Down on Financial Clutter
As we approach the New Year, it’s time to start thinking about ways to streamline and make life easier. Reducing the financial clutter in your life will go a long way toward doing both. Just what is financial clutter? In addition to obvious things like paper statements, it’s also things you might not think of, […]
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Credit Lock or Credit Freeze. What’s the Difference?
If it seems it’s getting harder to protect your personal and financial information, you’re not wrong. As more of our financial activities migrate online, hackers and thieves are working overtime to find ways to compromise it. Fortunately, there are also more options for keeping your information safe and out of the wrong hands. Two of […]
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Conduct a Mid-year Financial Resolution Checkup
With the year more than half over, it’s time for a mid-year financial resolution checkup. If you’ve been making progress on your resolutions — way to go! If you haven’t, don’t worry. There’s still plenty of time to work on them before the year ends. And even if you didn’t make any, it’s a good […]
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Learn the Warning Signs of Child Identity Theft
It’s challenging enough to stay vigilant about protecting your own identity. But if you have children, you need to actively protect their identity, too. In fact, a Carnegie Mellon University study says children are actually 51 times more likely than adults to have their identity stolen. And when it happens, it can take years to […]
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What to Know About Skimmers, Shimmers and Card Security
We talk a lot about keeping your financial information safe and secure online. But what about when you’re doing business in the real world? Do you just assume your transactions are secure? Unfortunately, they’re not. Any time money changes hands — whether in person or online —there are thieves and scammers ready to insert themselves […]
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Avoiding Scams on Craigslist, OfferUp and Letgo
The popularity of direct selling websites and apps such as Craigslist, Letgo and OfferUp shows no signs of slowing down. And with good reason. They are a great way to make money by selling your unwanted items, or to find a bargain on something you need. But as with anything that involves money changing hands, […]
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The Equifax Breach: What You Need to Know to Protect Yourself
According to reports released Sept. 7, hackers stole personal data, including Social Security numbers, addresses, birth dates, drivers’ license numbers, credit card numbers and credit dispute documents for 143 million consumers from credit reporting agency Equifax. The breach, which occurred sometime between May and July, has been considered one of the most damaging data breaches […]
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