Cyber Security, What You Can Do and What We Are Doing About It

A&I Wealth Management > Periscope Newsletter > Cyber Security, What You Can Do and What We Are Doing About It

This week, we host Director of Crime Prevention Programs of Jefferson County 1st District Attorney’s Office, Cary Johnson, to teach us about keeping our identities safe from those who would do us harm. Consider joining us on Wednesday, June 12, 2019 at 11:30 AM.

Recently, the list of companies that have been hacked includes Marriott/Starwood, Facebook, Uber, Yahoo, Equifax, US Office of Personnel Management, Sony, Target and more. This week, we have some tips for you:

• Never trust caller ID: Robo-callers have shown that the phone number that appears may not be the actual phone number, but might be hacked.

• Instead of answering, validate a person’s organization by calling them back through a known phone number.

• Government officials, law enforcement or even your bank employees RARELY call you, so be suspicious if they do.

You’re likely dealing with a crook if you feel:

• Pressured to send money

• Threatened with law enforcement action

• Told to purchase gift cards and provide codes as a form of payment

• Asked to cash a check for a stranger

• Instructed to make a cash deposit for sweepstakes

• Offered more than you are asking for something with a request to send the over-payment elsewhere

I’d like to thank Bank of America, who started me on the above list of tips for consumers. (1)

At our firm, our number one priority is to communicate with you, our clients. Our number one threat is the distribution of your money. Thus, when you request any new distribution, we confirm this with you on the phone or in person. Because we only work with a small number of clients, we know you and can make sure that the activity is not fraudulent. It doesn’t slow things down if you expect it—so let’s talk!

Additionally, we continually update the procedures we follow to protect electronic data. We depend upon our partners to defend their own company’s data, and we annually review their information to make sure, to the best of our abilities, that we are all safe with these companies.

The era of electronic data is upon us. Even the most secure and encrypted data today might not be so safe a decade from now as technologies improve the ability of both good and bad actors to affect our lives for better, or worse. Although we and our partners have amassed a fortress of various technologies, anything electronic/computer/robotic is prone to possible error. If you ever experience anything strange, call us or visit us. We will act with all due haste!

In brief, a personal relationship, as we have with you and with our partners, we believe is one of our best defenses against harm.

Resources:

(1) https://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/fraud-prevention-checklist.go

About the author

Karl Frank, Certified Financial Planner ®, MSF, MBA, MA, is the President of A&I Financial Services LLC, a local business that specializes in wealth management, insurance planning, and retirement planning. Karl cares for business owners and the businesses that care for them. Learn More about Karl.