These scoundrels often combine popular old tricks with new technology in order to convince individuals to provide them with personal and/or financial information or to send money.

This act is especially common among young adults. There are several reasons for this.

The most common are the fact that many young adults utilize open access internet hotspots, most do not have derogatory marks on their credit reports, and there are those that are simply unfamiliar with the schemes and advances utilized by crooks.

In this brief guide, you will be provided with information on how to successfully avoid fraud. While written for the purpose and intent of instructing young adults, the strategies outlined here are also effective for middle-aged adults, as well as the elderly.

Learn How to Quickly Identify Imposters

One of the most important strategies for avoiding fraud is to learn how to quickly identify imposters. It is common for scammers to research information online and to uncover various institutions, the names of relatives, and other information that may be used to convince a young adult to provide personal and/or financial information or send money.

A scammer may pretend to be an aunt, uncle, or cousin. They may pretend to be someone from a school that a young adult attends or the person’s workplace. They may even pretend to be someone from a community organization and/or group. Unexpected correspondence may come by email, a telephone call, or even a text. By learning to identify these types of imposters, young adults will have a higher level of success in avoiding fraud.

Practice Internet Safety

Today, young adults are constantly connected to the internet – be it through a computer, a tablet, a smartphone, or an electronic reading device. Not all networks used to access the World Wide Web are secure. In order to avoid fraud, steps must be taken to protect personal and financial information while on the internet. First, passwords should be created that utilize a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols.

Next, if using a non-secured internet access hotspot, usernames and passwords should not be entered. Personal information that is solicited should never be provided while online. If text messages and emails are received that contain links, the young adult should avoid clicking on those links. Finally, the amount of information shared on social media websites should be limited. It is becoming increasingly popular for scammers to obtain personal information through these platforms for the purpose and intent of illegally obtaining people’s information and subjecting them to fraud.

Review Financial and Credit Information Regularly

The third and final step that young adults should take in order to successfully avoid fraud is to review their financial and credit information on a regular basis. These include bank statements, credit card statements, other financial-based statements, and the credit report. If any type of unusual activity is discovered, it should be addressed immediately with the proper institution.

For example, if one’s bank statement shows unusual activity, it should be presented to the bank. If a credit report shows an unknown account or inquiry, it should be handled through the representing agency.

By taking these steps today, a young adult can avoid fraud for all of their tomorrows!

The post The Young Adult’s Guide to Avoiding Fraud appeared first on Somerville Bank.

Spring cleaning is almost a rite of passage. With it we celebrate the renewal of life that occurs in nature each spring and eagerly await the exciting fun of summer. Traditionally, spring cleaning means cracking our windows and dusting, mopping, and vacuuming, but this year consider taking a few minutes to spring clean your digital life. Here are a few tips for home users for refreshing, renewing, and reinvigorating your cyber life.

Online Accounts

Just like your home, your online accounts can collect clutter and occasionally need a few minutes of care. Start by considering what accounts you have online for both work and home. Chances are your accounts include email, social networks, clubs and organizations, shopping websites, cloud storage accounts, and others. Do you need them all? Is there information in those accounts that isn’t needed anymore, such as credit cards saved in your accounts with shops and old documents on cloud storage accounts? Are there accounts that you don’t use anymore and can close, like that old email account you never check? Are you using the same password across any of these accounts that you could easily make unique and more secure?

Email Accounts

Speaking of email, is there information in your accounts that you can archive or delete? Many email providers have limits on mailbox sizes, and for security reasons it’s always smart to limit what is available through your email account. On a side note, how many emails are in your inbox? Are there any you can file into folders or delete? And when was the last time you cleared out your deleted items or trash folder? Can you set a rule that will automatically empty your deleted items or trash folder on a regular basis? Unsubscribe to recurring emails that no longer interest you.

Social Media

Just like everything else, it’s a good idea to spring clean your social media accounts by taking a few minutes to review your security settings, friends and connections, and posts to make sure you’re still comfortable with them. Is the information on your social networking and job websites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, current? Do your security settings ensure that only the authorized individuals can view what you post? Do you still use or need all of the social media sites you are registered to?

Devices

Smartphones, tablets, laptops, and computers make our lives so much easier and here’s your chance to ensure that doesn’t change! Delete unused apps and clear out any downloads you aren’t using any more. Make sure your device requires a password, pin, or fingerprint to log-in. Check for old files that can be archived or deleted. (Don’t forget to empty the recycling/trash bin Then make sure your device’s security software is working properly (you do have antivirus installed, right?) and all software is patched and set to auto-update

Web Browser Settings

Web browsers need a bit of care, just like other software. Many browsers can store your passwords or autofill settings, but over time the data stored by the browser can accumulate, and this isn’t a secure place to store your passwords. So take a few minutes to check your browser settings, clear out old data, and ensure your browser’s security settings are still keeping you safe. In particular, make sure that autofill doesn’t contain sensitive information and that you don’t store your passwords in your browser. Do you need all of the browsers on your system?

Home Networks

Take another moment to look at what is on your home network and how you’re connecting to the Internet. Make sure your home router is secured with a complex and unique password and that it’s broadcast name doesn’t identify it as belonging to you. Additionally, setting up your wireless router to use a current encryption standard like WPA2 will greatly strengthen your home network security. This would also be a good chance to see if there are additional security features you can turn on or install, such as firewalls or antivirus software.

Back Things Up

Whether you save your files to CDs or DVDs, a cloud back-up service, or an external hard drive, spring cleaning is a good opportunity to make sure you have a complete backup of important files. No matter how you’re saving those files, make sure you’re saving the right files and that you can restore everything from your backup, since a backup that you can’t restore from isn’t useful at all!

Take Out the Trash

Last, but certainly not least, take out the trash. Literally. Are there old devices in your house or office that should be recycled? If so, many towns and stores support eCycling initiatives and will help you properly dispose of them. Just make sure to remove and shred/destroy hard drives and other components that may contain sensitive data!

By taking a few minutes to include these digital areas of focus in your spring cleaning plans, you can ensure that your data and devices are that much safer.

The information provided in the Monthly Security Tips Newsletter is intended to increase the security awareness of an organization’s end users and to help them behave in a more secure manner within their work environment. While some of the tips may relate to maintaining a home computer, the increased awareness is intended to help improve the organization’s overall cyber security posture. This is especially critical if employees access their work network from their home computer. Organizations have permission and are encouraged to brand and redistribute this newsletter in whole for educational, non-commercial purposes.

The post Digital Spring Cleaning: Personal Cyber Security appeared first on Somerville Bank.

Children today are more social, and more highly networked than your own generation. With readily available access to the internet, they are continually at risk. If your child is regularly using a computer, or any internet capable device, then it’s time to take steps to protect their personal information.

How Much Information is Being Shared by Your Child?

Facebook is still the largest risk platform for children’s privacy, but other services like Viber, WhatsApp, and even various video game services, all have elements of social networking where your child could reveal private information without considering the risks or consequences.

If your child is using a social media, instant messaging, or community based platform, then you’re going to need to know what they’re sharing, and provide some boundaries for them.

The Facebook terms and conditions restrict persons under the age of 13 from joining the network, however, this restriction can easily be circumvented during the sign-up process. Even if you do allow your child to maintain a Facebook page, they must be made aware of the dangers of contacting people who they do not know. Privacy settings can be changed to limit the visibility of a Facebook account, and many parents find that adding their children as a friends and monitoring their contact list is a good way to find out who can see them online. Personal information such as date of birth, age, physical address, and even school, should not be posted on publicly visible profiles. Even on private profiles, it’s much safer to prevent your child from posting any personal information of this type.

For other networks, such as image sharing sites and even online gaming sites, it’s important that you educate your child about the risks of identity theft or data collection. They should never provide their name or other personal details to people who they don’t personally know, and they should be especially careful when joining public forums or chat rooms, or even when communicating over voice chat for online games.

Prevent Your Child from Joining Unknown Sites or Online Services

Almost every page on the internet will collect some information from a user, and although reputable sites follow policies of full disclosure, there are literally millions that do not. Your child should be educated about the dangers of submitting personal information for free offers, site registrations, mailing lists, and other services.

If you are worried about your child not following your advice, or even attempting to hide their online activity, then you can use software for both mobile devices and PCs.

Software from companies like Norton can block apps and even restrict screen time, and some operating systems like Windows 10 even have parental controls as a standard feature.

In some cases, your child may need to provide information for a legitimate service. Try to maintain an open trust with your child, and let them know that you are approachable in these situations, but that they must always ask before submitting any information. In this way, you can review the site or service, and decide whether it’s safe to provide information, and how much will be shared. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is a law that restricts how online information can be collected from minors, and requires that websites and other services gain parental permission before collecting information. Again, not all sites are based in the US and not all will follow the law, so you will need to be vigilant and sometimes firm when it comes to the online activity of your child.

Does Your Child Have a Bank Account with Online Access?

Your child should be just as careful with their general personal information as they are with their banking details. If you are teaching your children good habits when it comes to financial responsibility and security, then you may have an easier time when it comes to educating them about online privacy. Deposits with federally insured banks will have numerous protections, but the same cannot be said with the information that given to sites or persons online. Explain the risks of identity theft to your child, and how a lax attitude to online privacy is not just dangerous, but it can also be financially damaging.

Identity theft for financial gain is more common than most people would like to believe, so it is a good idea to check with credit reporting agencies to find out if any records exist for your child. In cases where records do exist, the FTC operates a program for reporting and overcoming identity theft.

When you are open with your child, you’ll be better able to explain the need for online privacy. Don’t be afraid to explain the risks to your child, whether it’s identity theft, or even unwanted attention from a stranger. While the conversation won’t always be comfortable, it’s much more important that your child is aware of the best practices that will keep them safe.

The post Protecting Your Child’s Personal Information appeared first on Somerville Bank.

Regardless of where you live, what you do, and the state of the community in which you reside, you are sure to find it commonplace to observe individuals using hand-held electronic and computer devices. People are no longer restrained by the bulk and lack of mobility of desktop computers.

Now – more than ever before – mobility is on the rise.

Unfortunately, consumers are not the only individuals that seek to reap the rewards of today’s mobile devices. Criminals are also interested in utilizing these types of devices in order to illegally access personal and financial information.

If you use a smartphone and/or a tablet, you must learn to use it safely.

In this brief guide, you will be presented with a few strategies that will help in securing personal and financial information from those that intend to use it against you and to harm you.

The following outlines the most productive measures possible to achieve success in this endeavor:

1. First, you must ensure that you practice extreme caution when it comes to downloading, installing, and using apps that are designed for mobile devices. Many of today’s apps may contain malware. If you elect to utilize apps, you should ensure that you obtain them from stores that have a solid reputation. In most instances, these include those that are provided by the manufacturer of your mobile device or by the service provider of your cellular service or your internet. If you use mobile banking, you should only obtain the app from your financial institution in order to protect your personal and financial information.
2. The next step to being smartphone and tablet safe is to use security software that is designed to protect your device. Examples include security suites and programs that are designed to combat against malware and other types of malicious programs that criminals use to access your personal and financial information.
3. The next step to successfully protecting your personal and financial information with your smartphone and your tablet is to ensure that access to the information therein is protected and restricted. The best strategy for this is to use a password or a specially-designed security feature to protect it in the event that it is lost or stolen. You should also make certain that the feature “auto lock” is utilized. This will automatically digitally lock your phone if you fail to use it for a set amount of time.

By taking the measures contained within this guide, you will be able to successfully keep your personal information, your financial information, and other sensitive information from those that seek to commit crimes with the illicit use of said information.

If you would like to learn more about mobile banking or measures that may be taken to protect yourself on mobile devices, you may contact Somerville National Bank today.

The post Being Smartphone and Tablet Safe appeared first on Somerville Bank.

The Susceptibility
Many facts and figures abound regarding teenagers and identity theft. Perhaps, the most prevalent of all comes from the organization known as the “Juvenile Justice Information Exchange”. This group has established that teenagers and children under the age of 18 are more than 50 times more likely – than any other age group – to become victims of the increasingly popular crime, identity theft. There are numerous reasons for this, according to experts:

1. According to statistics, nearly every identity associated with a minor is considered to be exceptionally valuable among identity thieves because of the fact that all have clean histories, as far as their credit is concerned, and teenagers are not likely to take advantage of checking their credit report for free each year.
2. The second reason why teens are more susceptible to identity theft is because of the fact that they typically have a more casual approach and/or attitude towards technological-based security. Teenagers spend a great deal of their time on the internet. It is such a comfortable location to them that they do not feel threatened by any of the potential dangers that lurk on the information highway.
3. The third reason why teens are more prone to attacks on their identity is because they are a bit more vulnerable to online scams.

“The Talk”
Teenagers have all heard and grimaced at the phrase, “the talk”; however, as a parent, you must be absolutely certain that you have had “the talk” with your teen as it relates to their online safety and protecting their personal information. While “the talk” may prove to be a bit uncomfortable for both you and your teen, it is best to do it before any dire consequences of NOT doing it occur. You should instruct your teen to never provide their Social Security number to anyone on the World Wide Web. If your teen wants to make purchases online, they should be instructed to only provide sensitive payment information to sites that are considered to be secure.

In Conclusion
Identity theft is on the rise. The magnitude of this problem is considered to be absolutely enormous. The impact of this type of crime is reaching epidemic proportions. Identity criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated and are now not only targeting adults, but, teens, too! Here at Somerville National Bank, we take great pride in helping people with their finances – regardless of age. In this installment of our series, “Protecting Teenagers from Identity Theft”, you have learned why teens are becoming more susceptible to this crime and the importance of educating them on this issue. Be sure to stay tuned for the remainder of the year as we continue this very special series. For more information, visit us today at: http://somervillebank.net/

The post Protecting Teenagers from Identity Theft – Part 1 appeared first on Somerville Bank.

Personal Finance Steps
In order to safeguard yourself against identification crimes, you may take the following steps:

1. Each year, you should place an emphasis on reviewing the credit reports from all major reporting firms. This will allow you to determine if anyone has established any form of credit under your name or performed another type of ID theft. You may obtain a free report each year through the website, www.annualcreditreport.com.
2. You should always strive to avoid providing personal and/or financial information by telephone. If the information has to be given, it is best to do it by home phone. If you provide the information on a phone that is located in a public location or through a cell phone, those nearby may be able to hear the information and use it for illegal purposes.
3. All of us receive financial statements, bill statements, credit offers, loan offers, and similar information by mail. While it may be tempting to just throw such information away, it is best if you shred the documents prior to throwing them away. An additional measure that may be taken is, once you shred the documents, to throw the pieces into separate trash containers so that they may not be reassembled by identity thieves. If you want an easier method, just ensure that all documents are shredded using a cross-cut method.
4. When out in public, you should only take that which is absolutely necessary. For example, an identification card and a debit card. It is best to limit the personal information that you carry on your person. You should never carry your social security card unless it is necessary, your check book unless you are going to use it, or all of your debit and/or credit cards at once.
5. If you have credit cards with zero balances and do not use those cards within a 6 month period, you should cancel them in order to protect yourself.
6. If you receive a lot of solicitations from credit cards and insurances, call 888-5OPT-OUT to stop the solicitations.
7. In order to reduce direct mail solicitations, send a request to the Direct Marketing Association c/o Mail Preference Service P.O Box 643 Carmel, NY 10512.

Conclusion
Somerville National Bank cares about your personal safety. We encourage our customers and the people that reside in the communities that we service to take every precaution necessary to properly protect themselves from identity theft. Be sure to review our first three installments of this series to remain up-to-date on the latest and greatest techniques to protect yourself. If you would like more information on how to protect yourself from identity theft, contact us at: 513-726-6471

The post Successfully Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft – Part Four appeared first on Somerville Bank.

Identity Theft through Traditional Mail
In today’s world, most people handle their financial matters over the internet; however, in some instances – especially the baby boomers and the older generation – many will still handle these affairs by mail, as that is what they are most comfortable with. Unfortunately, thieves that have an interest in obtaining your identificationfor criminal activity are known to invade your mailbox in order to succeed in their crime. Adhere to the following steps in order to avoid this complication:

1. If you use the mail system to send out bill payments and other types of sensitive information, never place these in your personal mailbox. It is best to place them in a box situated at your local USPS office, or take the mail inside of the post office that you need to send.
2. If you must use the mailbox at your home, sure that it is the slot-type that includes a lock.
3. If you are sending information out regarding a specific account, be certain to avoid writing it on the inside of the envelope or mailer.
4. Finally, when leaving town or if you will be unable to retrieve your mail for one reason or another, request that your local post office hold the mail.

Identity Theft through e-Commerce Websites
If you are reading this, chances are, you have performed various tasks online, such as ordering products. When doing so, it is important to protect yourself from identity theft. The following steps will help you:

1. Always make sure that you perform financial transactions on a secure website. In most instances, the website will have an “https” in the web address, as well as a symbol of a lock.
2. Never provide bank account information, debit card information, or credit card information online unless you are sure that the information is secure and completely encrypted.
3. If doing business on a mobile device in the general public, be certain that no one around you is able to see the screen.

In Conclusion
Somerville Bank thanks you for continuing our series, “Successfully Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft”. Now, you are fully aware of just how serious this particular crime is and have a solid understanding of the steps that you may take to protect yourself. Be sure to stay tuned as we release further installments in this series. Remember, keep all of your personal information private, check your statements each month, and do not provide passwords or PINS to anyone. If you would like more information, call us today at: 513-726-6471

The post Successfully Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft – Part Three appeared first on Somerville Bank.

1.     Protect Your Numbers
The first and most important step to protecting yourself from ID theft is to ensure that you protect your numbers. These include your Social Security number, any PINs that you have, sensitive passwords, and any type of account number in which you are associated. You may do this by avoiding carrying these numbers in your purse or wallet. You should never provide these numbers to anyone, except in situations in which you know it to be necessary. An example of such situation is when you are handling tax-related affairs with the IRS. It is best to keep all your important numbers locked away in a location that is difficult to access by others. In doing so, you are taking a productive step in protecting yourself from identity theft.

2.     Monitor Your Statements
The next step you may take in order to protect yourself from ID theft is to consistently monitor your statements – both those from your bank and those associated with your credit cards. You should look to ensure that all activity reflects activities that you have performed and that no suspicious activities are present. By monitoring your statements closely each month, you have a better chance of identifying any type of theft and reducing the amount of damage that the theft may cause you.

3.     Watch Your Mail
If you currently utilize an unsecured mailbox to send or receive any mail that contains information that personally identifies you, you should stop immediately. It is best to use a designated collection box at your local post office for these types of items. If you receive paper statements from your bank, credit card agency, and other types of companies, you should opt out from paper and sign up for paperless billing.

Conclusion
ID theft is highly devastating to those that experience it. Each of us has personal identifying information. If that information gets into the hands of the wrong people, it could wreak havoc in your life. Not only do crimes associated with identity theft result in your good name becoming tarnished, it could cost you a lot of money and result in many unnecessary complications, such as devastating your credit. By taking the steps outlined in this guide, you will be able to successfully protect you and your identity.

The post 3 Simple Steps to Protect Yourself from ID Theft appeared first on Somerville Bank.