Back in the day most (if not all) of your banking transactions were done face-to-face with a teller or some other banking representative. As time progressed and technology enhanced, the one-on-one time with your bank representative and that smiling teller is no longer convenient for the traditional bank customer. We, as bank customers, have come to expect more from our banks. We want online access 24/7 to our accounts, the ability to transfer funds at all hours of the day, and an ability to initiate any new banking feature quickly and efficiently with the click of a mouse. Some banks are now even offering the ability for their customer to receive mobile alerts directly to their cell phone if a balance falls below a certain level or a transaction of unusual size is being processed. With all of these conveniences, it is hard to imagine that there would be many problems. However, it is all of these fast tracks to service that open you and your bank accounts up to fraudulent activity and that is why you need to take measures to protect them.

“Firewalling” Your Bank Account

A firewall is a security measure that you put into place to keep two things apart. We mostly refer to firewalls in this day and age when we are talking about network and data protection. If you want to protect your computer from harmful viruses or your email from spammers , you create a firewall. Only those with the proper clearance are permitted to pass through the firewall. My guess is that the term “firewall” probably originated out of medieval times when it was common to pour vats of hot oil over a castle wall to keep attackers at bay but our current use of the term still seems very fitting.

Now that you know what a firewall is, how do you set one up for your bank account? The answer is easy. In most banking situations, you usually have a savings account and a checking account. In this simple scenario, the checking account would be the firewall for your savings account. Meaning… all of your transactions (online, via check, and debit card) are associated with your checking account and you transfer money internally(within the banks infrastructure) from your savings to your checking to cover bills. You never pay anyone directly using your savings account because you want to keep that account information private. With this scenario, if your checking account number becomes compromised, the would be violator would only have access to funds in your checking account and not your savings account. TA-DA you have put a firewall in place.

Now You Make Things More Complicated…

You decide that you are going to start investing online with a popular broker like E*Trade, purchasing things through eBay with PayPal, and basically go on a spending spree with internet retailers from around the world. It is ok though because firewalling can still work for you regardless of how complicated your make your finances.

The Solution…

• STEP 1: You will want to open a new checking account. You can do it at your current bank or you can you do it at another bank. The reason for this new checking account is because you do not want to open up your day-to-day checking account to all the unscrupulous characters out on the internet.
• STEP 2: When you want to fund your day trading account at E*Trade or boost up your PayPal account for a shopping spree, you will fund these accounts out of your new checking account. Why? you ask.. Because PayPal and other financial institutions are notorious for being targeted by look alike scammers wanting to prey upon your naivete and hopefully gain access to your funding account. Since you have set up a “firewall” they will not have access to your regular checking account that you pay your mortgage, car payment and groceries out of and they will have less of an impact on your day-to-day finances.
• STEP 3: Get a Credit Card! Did you know that every time you swipe your debit card, you are giving someone the opportunity to not only drain your checking account but also potentially overdraw it. Your bank has measures in place to protect you from these fraudulent transactions but it could take them up to 4 weeks to replace the stolen funds in your checking account as they verify the legitimacy of the fraudulent transaction . If you use a Credit Card for all your purchases that you would normally do with a debit card and pay that card off each month from your checking account, you will be protecting yourself from fraudulent transactions and maybe even earning some cash back of air miles at the same time. If someone compromises your credit card account, they are not impacting your checking account and you can dispute(and not pay) the transaction right away with MasterCard, Visa, etc…

Hope this information is helpful for our readers at SmartSecurityPeople.com. Should you have additional questions about the topic of “Firewalling Your Finances”, please be sure to drop us a line.

If you are like the majority of American automobile owners, you probably have enough change in your car to cover the purchase of a small Reese Cup Blizzard at Dairy Queen, a 2 liter of soda at the gas station, or a double cheese burger from McDonald’s. The question on my mind though, what do you feel is an appropriate amount of change to be hoarding in your car? Wondering what this has to do with security? I really didn’t think it had anything to do with security until I read an article from Becoming Debt Free 2009.

The article tells of how an unsuspecting person took their car to the local car wash and upon leaving found that someone had stolen all her change. Well almost all of it, they left the pennies.  See.. even crooks don’t find pennies of value in a depressed economy. Why do we still produce them?.. off-topic.. my apologies. The woman states that she lost about $7 in change.

Ok.. back to my question.. How much change do you think is appropriate to keep in your car?

Your answer could have a direct impact on whether your car becomes the next target for someone trying to get some quick cash. It is hard to imagine that someone would break into your car just for your loose change but we have to remember that we are in a depressed economy and experiencing tough times and people are more likely to do things(unlawful) that they would not normally do. So..if you have a surplus of change in the cup holder next to your gearshift, it is quite possible that may be just enough enticement for someone to break your window and make a quick grab and go.

One of our readers at SmartSecurityPeople.com just recently informed us of a Mystery Shopper Scam that they received. Here is their message:

Just wanted you to be aware of mystery shopper check that come in the mail. I received one the other day and will tell you the check looks very real. The company was Manpower (Walmart, Bestbuy, etc).  I decided to call the number to see what they had to say. I was told to go to the bank and cash the check and call them back immediately, then I would be told where to wire the money gram. The check was for 2995.00, I was to get 200.00 for doing the mission after I sent 2285.00 to where ever. It is sad because many people need money and it (check) looks very real. What alerted me was a hand written envelope (any child could of done better) with a Canadian stamp, the letter was from Wisconsin, and the check was on an Arkansas bank. I gave it to the local bank to give to the Fraud Unit. So beware of easy money.

This type of scam has been around for a long while and is nothing new. However, this is the first time we have heard it being introduced under the disguise of a Mystery Shopper Program.

How Does It Work?

The scammer will send you a check that for all intents and purposes appears to be real. However, the check is usually a really good fake and the account numbers on it don’t match up to anything. Usually the 9 digit bank routing number and bank name will be valid but the checking account number will be bogus.

When you cash the check at your bank, they have no easy way of instantly verifying the availability of the funds and will process it like any other check. By the time the check is returned for “NO ACCOUNT FOUND”, which can sometimes take up to a week, you have already left with the cash, gave a portion of it to the scammer, and kept the “fee” for yourself. The bank now comes after you and holds you responsible for making good on the check since you got the cash.

How Do You Prevent It from Happening To You?

You do just as our reader stated. You inquire about the legitimacy of the transaction and you seek the help of those in the profession(a bank in this instance) to give you guidance.  Remember… if it seems to good to be true, then in most cases it is. You must be vigilant at all times and not let the stress of our depressed economy make you more susceptible to these types of scams.

We hope this information is helpful for our readers at SmartSecurityPeople.com.  If you ever encounter a scam or something that even remotely looks like a scam, please fee free to share your story with us and we will be more than glad to pass it on to our readers. Knowledge is power and the more we have the better off we all will be.

Our ability to cook a warm meal, take regular baths, and possibly do a load of laundry are all things that we take for granted because we do them with ease at this stage in our life. However, “the day” is coming for all of us… The day that we will no longer be able to stay within our own home and provide for our own basic daily care.

I know that many of you reading this are thinking: “who are you kidding, they will never pry me out of my home!” , “I will never get to that point” or “that only happens to people with other disabilities”. For all you optimists out there, I truly hope that “the day” never comes for you and you don’t have to experience leaving the safe and familiar confines of a home in which you have spent most of your years. However, the realist amongst us know that our bodies and minds are not quite like they used to be and that proper planning is in order if we are to prolong the length of time that we can live independently and without moving to assisted living.

So.. what do we do? How can we prepare now to benefit ourselves in the future? Glad you asked! Here are some suggestions:

Take A Look at Your Home!

Seriously.. have you ever looked at your home from the eyes of a more seasoned(old) person? If not, you should host the next local AARP meeting at your home and take an informal survey at the end to find out what challenges your house provides for elderly people. Ok.. you can forgo the AARP meeting but you really need to walk around your house and identify areas of concern. Is your house multi-level? Do you have a large yard that needs extreme amounts of upkeep? Do you live somewhere that gets record levels of snow? How maintenance free is your home? Dependent upon your answer to some of these questions, you may need to make plans for the future to move out of your current home and into something a little more elderly friendly. Single level condos always appear to be in high regard for retired seniors -especially condos located in Florida!.

Analyze Your Family Resources!

We are not talking about money here. (However, we will touch upon that a little later.) How many siblings do you have? What is their health and age in comparison to yours? How many kids do you have? How many boys vs. girls? You may be wondering why you want to take notice of your family but the reason for doing this is because these are the people that are going to be around in your later years and you may need to depend upon them to accomplish some day to day activities. Your own children are usually the ones that are most committed to promoting your good health and welfare. Stereotypically, boys help out with the house and yard maintenance while the girls tend to be focused on your health and nurturing (keeping you clean and well fed). Understanding that your children still have their own commitments and will be unable to stop by all the time, you have to take a look at your other resources to fill the gap and keep your mind sharp. That is where the next suggestion comes in handy…

Take Inventory of Your Friends!

Your friends will be more than glad to help you out as they are able but unless you have very young friends chances are they are at the same point in their life as you are in yours. You will want to keep in close contact with your friends and schedule mutually beneficial social events and functions. This will help to promote good communication habits and it will keep your brain stimulated so that you are less susceptible to Alzheimer’s.

Where is Your Checkbook?

It is unfortunate, but the more money you have the better your chances of avoiding assisted living. When you have monetary resources, you can afford to pay people that will clean out your gutters, mow your grass, shovel the snow, bring food to your door, clean your house, give you a sponge bath, do all the required maintenance around your home, and even tuck you in at night!

Research Senior Monitoring Services!

ADT and other home security service providers are no longer just watching and protecting your homes. They have now branched out and provide senior monitoring services for the elderly. Do you remember those annoying commercials “Help, I have fallen and I can’t get up”. Well, in order for us to not be like those people we will probably want to get some sort of service that allows us to wear a heart pendant to push in emergency situations. If you are can’t afford senior monitoring services, think about doing a one-time $99 investment in a DIY security alarm that has a panic button and call notification feature. Better yet, spend $50 and get a Personal Alert Voice Dialer. It is certainly better than nothing.

Join A Club!

We are not talking about the local Country Club or your favorite Book Club. However, if they provide for good anaerobic exercise, then by all means join away. A Fitness club is what we are referring to. The healthier you keep your body, the longer you will be able to live independently and without assistance. Which naturally feeds into the next suggestion…

Don’t Avoid the Doctor

I have not encountered a single person yet that thoroughly enjoys going to the doctor. Most people try to avoid them like the plague. The truth of the matter though is that as you age there are certain tests and routine check-ups that you need to have completed on a regular basis. For guys, the prostate exam after 40 years of age is always an important one. Regardless, keep you body healthy at all costs. You only get one and you want it to last as long as you can!

SmartSecurityPeople.com may have deviated from our normal line of articles to bring this information to you. However, we care about not only the security of our readers but also your safety and that includes your younger AND older years. So take this information to heart and regardless of your age, start planning now to make sure you live a long and prosperous life and avoid assisted living for as long as humanly possible. However, do know your limitations and when and if the time comes for you to move from your home into an assisted care situation or nursing home, go willingly and know that it is not the end of the world. Think of it as Club Med, just without the beach and margaritas.

If you are making plans to take spring break or an early summer trip to the beautiful beaches of Mexico, you may want to think twice. You may even want to think three times before booking that vacation.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs recently released a travel alert urging all U.S. Citizens to take extra caution when traveling throughout Mexico. They state that the Mexico/U.S. Border has experienced a great deal of violence from Mexican drug cartels and innocent Mexican and foreign bystanders have either been injured or killed.

The Bureau provides the following helpful information for U.S. travelers in Mexico:

U.S. citizens should make every attempt to travel on main roads during daylight hours, particularly the toll (”cuota”) roads, which generally are more secure. Occasionally, the U.S. Embassy and consulates advise their employees as well as private U.S. citizens to avoid certain areas, abstain from driving on certain roads because of dangerous conditions or criminal activity, or recommend driving during daylight hours only. When warranted, U.S. government employees are restricted from traveling to or within parts of Mexico without prior approval from their supervisors. When this happens, the Embassy or the affected consulate will alert the local U.S. citizen Warden network and post the information on their respective websites, indicating the nature of the concern and the expected time period for which the restriction will remain in place. U.S. citizen visitors are encouraged to stay in the well-known tourist areas of the cities. Travelers should leave their itinerary with a friend or family member not traveling with them, avoid traveling alone, and should check with their cellular provider prior to departure to confirm that their cell phone is capable of roaming on GSM or 3G international networks. Do not display expensive-looking jewelry, large amounts of money, or other valuable items.

SmartSecurityPeople.com brings this news announcement to you so that you can make an informed decision when making your vacation plans. If Mexico was originally in your top three picks for a vacation destination, you may want to look at your other 2 options and put Mexico on the back burner until the drug cartels work through their differences.

Those of you that have college age and college ready children will want to take note of this article. Those that do not, you will still want to read this article to make sure you can help counsel someone else that is just entering into the world of higher education and learning all the great facets of financial aid.

People claiming to be employed by the Department of Education are calling unsuspecting families and offering them a large scholarship and/or grant. The kicker though - they are asking the family for a credit card to cover a $249 processing fee. As if college was not expensive enough, now you have scam artists trying to profiteer off of people’s longing to cover the educational expense for their son or daughter.

If you are a seasoned professional when it comes to college expenses and financial aid, you can disregard the following information. If you are new to the process, please read the following tips:

• The Department of Education will never contact you directly. They will work with and through the college of your choice to see what kind of aid might be available for you.
• If someone is offering you a “free” scholarship make sure you get all the details and understand where the funds are coming from and why you are a recipient (especially if it is not one that you have applied for).
• Avoid any scholarship conversations that include the following: “The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back.”, “You can’t get this information anywhere else.”,”I just need your credit-card or bank-account number to hold this scholarship.”,”We’ll do all the work.”,”The scholarship will cost some money.”, “You’ve been selected by a ‘national foundation’ to receive a scholarship.”,”You’re a finalist.”
• Never give anyone your private bank or credit card information - especially when it is relating to a scholarship “opportunity”.

If you are unsure about the legitimacy of a particular scholarship offer, drop a call to your local financial aid office and run it by them. They are the professionals and work with this type of information every day and will be in the best position to give you clear and unbiased advice.

The Federal Trade Commission encourages families to notify them if you believe that you have been approached by a scholarship scam artist. You can contact them by sending an email to oig.hotline@ed.gov or by calling 1-800-MIS-USED.

Have any of our readers at SmartSecurityPeople.com ever encountered a scholarship scam artist? Any additional tips you would like to share for the good of the order?