Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft & Cybercrime

Hello fellow AllReitz.blog subscribers. I am inspired to submit this guest blog because I just shut down my family’s VISA cards for the fourth time in two years due to someone obtaining my information and making fraudulent purchases. We also have special PIN numbers we need to use when we file our annual income taxes due to someone filing and claiming a big refund using our names. (Unfortunately, we never get a refund.)

As a society we have been moving toward handling more and more of our business from home. The Covid-19 virus has accelerated this exponentially. The virus has not only resulted in many individuals working from home, but also shopping, streaming and “Zooming” from home. All of this is of course super convenient, but comes at a risk. Every time you use your computer and connect to the internet you potentially open some door or window for a cybercriminal to access. Knowing how to keep these doors and windows locked, or at least monitored, has never been more important.

I recently had the good fortune to be invited to a webinar presented by Retired FBI Special Agent Jeff Lanza. For a good part of his 20-year career he investigated and prosecuted cybercrimes. You could read volumes on cybercrime and how to prevent and identify it, but his executive summary of “Simple Safeguards” attached below provides all of the tools you need, and defines the steps you can take right now, to protect yourself and your family. I wish I had this two years ago.

Click the icon below to download Mr. Lanza’s PDF on Cybersecurity.