Safeguard personal and fi nancial information with few easy steps

Safeguarding personal financial data has never been more important, as an increasingly digital world has made online banking more prevalent. People need to be diligent in protecting their information from cyber criminals, and every little effort is worth it to reduce the risk of being victimized by data theft. Following are the tips from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

• People have the right to opt out of the sharing of some of their personal information with affiliates and non-affiliates of a fi nancial institution. For example, out of receiving prescreened credit offers by way of credit bureaus selling information about them to lenders or insurance.

• Increase awareness of phishing scams. These often are emails that appear to come from legitimate firms or financial regulators asking for personal information. These entities would never ask for account numbers, passwords, credit card information, or Social Security numbers through email. Verify all communication with the financial institution by contacting it directly.

• Be aware of the links or pop ups online. Never click on a questionable link or download a suspicious email attachment.

• Strong passwords can keep accounts more secure. Resist the urge to use the same password across many accounts and consider using a password manager to suggest and save strong and unique passwords for each account.

• Utilize multifactor authentication (MFA) whenever possible.

MFA adds an extra layer of protection by using a password as well as a unique code or biometric to unlock the account.

• Conductallfinancialbusinessonapersonaldeviceonasecure network. Delete the cache and history frequently to avoid leaving a digital trace.

—MetroCreativeConnection