Tips to Avoid Fraud & Scams

Protecting our clients’ data is of the upmost importance to us. We want to help our clients protect themselves and practice ways to keep their personal information secure. As criminals increasingly find ways to adapt to our habits and steal information, we all need to remain vigilant.

We always recommend a heightened sense of awareness when dealing with any request to share personal or financial information. Below are some tips to help you protect yourself from some common scams:

• Inform account signers to verify payment, purchase, and wire requests in person if possible or by calling the recipient to make sure all payment delivery details are legitimate. You should verify any change in account number or payment procedures with the person making the request.
• Be especially wary if the requester is pressing you to act quickly.
• A scammer may spoof an email account or website. Slight variations on legitimate addresses (Notta.Scammer@TollesonWealth.com versus Izza.Scammer@TollesonWealths.com) fool victims into thinking fake accounts are authentic.
• Please review email addresses closely for any irregularities, such as spelling or use of uncommon letters or characters.
• Implement multi-factor authentication on all critical accounts.
• Use a strong password manager/vault (several services are available: Dashlane, 1Password, NordPass, Bitwarden to name a few) instead of saving passwords in your browser. Do not use simple passwords or reuse passwords across sites.
• Use a password generator with your password vault.
• Avoid or limit use of public Wi-Fi hotspots.

If you have any questions or concerns about a potential scam or feel that perhaps your financial information may have been compromised, please don’t hesitate to contact your Tolleson advisor or personal banker. Our team is always happy to help.