Full Notification

APD spends a lot of time speaking with people about fraud protection. Why? A 2011 FTC survey, Consumer Fraud in the United States, 2011, revealed that an estimated 25.6 million adults (approximately 10% of the adult population in the US) had fallen prey to fraud at some level.

Here are 4 principles of cyber safety to keep in mind to avoid scams, protect what is important to you, and avoid being one of the 10% of Americans who fall prey to fraudsters.

1. You are your DATA—your date of birth, social security number, and contact information are key pieces of information that can be used to compromise your identity. Protect them.

2. When asked FOR, ask WHAT FOR? If you have checked in to a motel room, applied for a loan, or rented an apartment lately you have likely been asked for personal identifying information. Take the next step and ask what they are going to do with that information and how it will be protected. You might be surprised to hear answers like "that's just how we do it". You might respond with "is there any way you can change that protocol to protect my identity?"

3. If it has a lock, use it—strong passwords, physical locks, and basic security measures (e.g. not using your smartphone for personal business on an open Wi-Fi network) can reduce opportunities for compromise.

4. Plan for safety—opt of out junk mail, send mail from locked boxes, create a wallet inventory in case your wallet gets lost or stolen. Think ahead. Avoid being a victim.

Fortunately, many of the conversations APD has with Anacortes residents are about fraud attempts and no information or items of value change hands. Here's to a continuation of that trend in 2016.