How often do you look at your checking account information? Do you only check the balance every so often to make sure there are available funds? Or do you scrutinize every item in your account detail and do a mental verification that all deductions are legit? If you usually only focus on your account balance I urge you to take some extra time and examine your checking account information soon.

There is a scam to be aware of run by a company that calls itself Alliance Network. They are fraudulently submitting electronic checks to thousands of checking accounts monthly in the amount of $29.95. Once they get your money they will wait a few months then submit another electronic check for $29.95. If you do not complain about these electronic checks to your bank this company will continue to steal $29.95 from your checking account every few months. They allegedly do this to thousands of checking accounts every month. You can find additional information about this scam by using the phrase “$29.95 check scam” with your favorite web search engine.

Speaking of web browsers. I have begun using Google Chrome’s Incognito Mode http://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95464 It seems faster than other browsers that I have used. Plus it does not leave as many files on your computer that hackers could possibly use to gather information about the web addresses you visit. I also use Kaspersky security software to delete my browsing history every day. Kaspersky also comes with a virtual keyboard so that you can log into your important accounts without keystroke capture software grabbing your account and password information.

It amazes me how many people I know who do not install internet security software on their computers. Kind of makes me want to ban them from sending me emails. Did you know that If you are a Road Runner High Speed Online customer, you will just need your Road Runner email address and password to receive your free copy of McAfee Antivirus? People please if you use Bright House/Road Runner take the time to install this free software. (If you do not already use something better that is). http://brighthouse.com/corporate/shop/internet/security

Whenever you access accounts online such as banking, college, insurance, utility company, or credit card you should ALWAYS make sure that the web address you are using is of the https variety and not the http kind. The s stands for secure and these https addresses have additional layers of security. http://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/https.asp Make this a habit whenever you access the internet but especially when you are using free wifi that is not password protected.

Did you set the password on your wireless router when you plugged it in? Did you know that most routers come with the factory set password of “password”? You should change this router password to something meaningful like “luvsysmom” and write it down in a safe place. If not you could have the FBI knocking on your door and trying to arrest you for possession and transmission of child pornography. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42740201/ns/technology_and_science-wireless/t/bizarre-pornography-raid-underscores-wi-fi-privacy-risks/

Here is your to do list.
1. examine checking account detail look for bogus $29.95 e-check deductions.
2. clean up your browser history to keep others from spying on you
3. install internet security / anti-virus software
4. make it a habit to use https rather than http addresses.
5. change the password on your wireless router to something other than “password”.

I have 5 different e-mail accounts. One is for school related business. One is for newsletters from companies I buy products from like P&G, The Valley Plaza, Coca Cola, Bed Bath & Beyond, Jack Links, etc. One is for personal communication with relatives and friends. One is for facebook. The other one is used only for banking, credit card, insurance, utilities, tax purposes, etc.

I make extensive use of filters on all of my email accounts. I never open any emails unless I verify they were sent from a legitimate source.

This past year three of my friends have had their email accounts hacked. One friend lost all access to her account because the password was changed. I try hard to keep my email accounts safe. I hope my efforts are enough.

As a matter of policy, we never–and I mean never–commit to transactions over the phone.

I have set up text alerts on my checking, savings, and credit card accounts. Texts will be sent to me if my account balances change by a set amount. Some alerts have bank set minimums. My credit card company’s minimum limit is $100 on charges and $500 on balance. For my checking and savings I set a limit of only one dollar on withdrawals. I am waiting for my insurance payment to clear I expect a text when it does.

Great suggestions~ staying as safe as possible takes some work ~ but not as much work as trying to recover from such “attacks”. For those Long Term Storage Objects(LSO) that most,if not all sites add to your PC without your knowledge use https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/betterp , only works with Mozilla/Firefox. Close your browser often,ditch those cookies ,surf incognito and tell sites you do not want to be tracked. Watch those scripts and install,update and use some kind of “protection” ~ your right sys-mom so many are so very ripe for the plucking.Clicking that “link” to facecrud or whatever can ruin you,….it seems stupid to say but if you never entered that “contest”….you did not win it either! lol
Look for the little “lock” as you checkout on line, a BBB sign helps also. All those little info dots on your drivers license,passports and credit cards just need a quick scan while they are in your wallet~ get a protected wallet that prevents the theft by those devices..or be like me:poor lol
Reading the occasional “whats new in security threats” article never hurts.