Putting Identity Theft on Ice
A credit freeze is essentially a lock on your credit report. When a freeze is in place, potential lenders are unable to access your credit report. A credit freeze also helps prevent others from accessing your credit report fraudulently and applying for credit in your name, adding a layer of protection against identity theft.
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You’ve been hacked! How to Combat a Personal Security Breach.
In our ever-changing, technology driven world, hacking incidents have become far too common. Whether accessing someone’s personal email directly, phishing for information via text or social media (smishing), or maximizing scam calls, hackers are becoming increasingly clever with their tactics when attempting to steal an individual’s identity. In the United States, it is estimated approximately one in three Americans are hacked every year. The good news is there are steps you can take once you have been hacked to combat the situation.
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Ways to Protect Yourself
Technology offers a pathway to efficiently manage our financial lives. With the stroke of a key or a few taps on an app, we can move money between accounts, update our address, change our beneficiary designations, and much more. These benefits come at a price. The convenience technology provides for each consumer can also be extended to the thieves who may be looking to gain access to your accounts. We at Punch, and throughout the financial industry in general, use the measures available to ensure your private data remains private and your accounts can only be accessed by you, the account owner.
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Maximizing Efficiency and Security
A password manager is an app on your phone, computer, or tablet that allows you to securely save a multitude of passwords and other personal information. The user needs to remember a master password to access the stored information. Providers of these tools may offer a free version as well as a paid version, depending on the level of service you prefer.
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