The Costco Connection - December 2014

DECEMBER 2014 ;e Costco Connection 15

David Horowitz is a leading consumer advocate. David’s daughter Amanda Horowitz is the CEO of Fight Back! and co-founder of FightBack.com.

Email David and Amanda at info@ fightback.com.

Fight Back TIPS FROM

Have a question for Fight Back?

Just log on to fightback.com or email info@fightback.com. Questions and answers of the greatest interest to Costco members will be used in this column (with the permission of the contributor) and will be posted on fightback.com. © 2014 AMANDA HOROWITZ MEDIA, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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Please note we are not licensed professionals in any ;eld. If you are seeking advice you should consult with your own licensed professional. We do not assume any liability or responsibility for the interpretation, application or accuracy of any information provided.

Fight Back! gets social

WHAT DO YOU do to be a proactive consumer and effect positive change in the world? Send us your photos, videos and comments on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, marked #IFightBack #Costco, and we’ll share them.

WITH BANKS AND RETAILERS reporting news of cyber attacks, you might be concerned about fraud and identity theft, and rightfully so. As consumers, we hand over our personal information to these institutions and we trust that it will be kept private. Although you cannot control if a cyberattack will directly affect you, or when the next one will hit, you can take steps to protect yourself, reduce the risk and minimize the effects of an attack if it does happen. Here’s what you can do.

Create strong passwords. A strong password has a combination of capital and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Experts recommend no fewer than eight characters in the password.

Avoid creating passwords that include personal information, such as your name, address, birthday, etc. Also avoid passwords that include common words or phrases.

Use different passwords. Using the same password for all of your accounts is a big risk. If there’s a data breach at one site, all your accounts are vulnerable. Routinely change passwords, and they should all be different. Password-protect all devices that connect to the Internet and user accounts. And never send passwords via email or text.

Consider a credit security freeze. Placing a credit security freeze with the three credit reporting bureaus—Experian, Equifax and TransUnion— prevents them from releasing your credit report without your consent. This in turn helps to prevent new

Protect yourself against cyberattack risks

CONSUMERconnection

fake accounts from being opened in your name, because your credit report cannot be accessed without information and authorization from you.

However, a security freeze cannot prevent all types of identity theft. For example, a security freeze will not prevent an identity thief from using your existing credit cards or other accounts.

If you do freeze your credit files, remember that you’ll have to temporarily lift the freeze to access new credit or open up new accounts; this is something to consider, because it could delay, interfere with or prohibit timely approval of requests. Security freeze fees and requirements differ by state. For more information, visit help.equifax.com/app/ answers/detail/a_id/75/~/security-freeze-fees-and- requirements.

Check your credit report. Federal law allows you to get a free copy of your credit report (not your credit score) every 12 months from each credit reporting company. You may access your free annual report at annualcreditreport.com. Be cautious of other websites that claim to offer free credit reports. A number of sites will give you a free report only if you buy products or services. Other sites give you a free report and then bill you for services you have to cancel.

Check your accounts on a regular basis for questionable activity. Set a time to do this once a week. If something stands out as suspicious, investigate it immediately and report it if necessary.

Keep personal information private. We cannot stress this enough: If you are contacted via phone, email or text and asked for your personal information, don’t ever give it out unless you are completely sure who the source is. Verify the authenticity of requests from companies or individuals by contacting them directly. Scammers may claim to be a retailer, bank or even a government agency. They may know things about you that make them seem legit. They may persuade you with attractive offers. Remember: This is a game for them. Don’t fall for it.

By taking the steps above, you can have peace of mind that if a cyberattack hits, you did what you could to protect yourself. C

Keep up with news of cyberthreats

CYBERATTACKS are unpredictable, and there may not be any warning about them. Some could take weeks, months or even years to discover. Here are two ways that you can keep up to date with current cybersecurity issues.

• Subscribe to tips and alerts from the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT). US-CERT strives for a safer, stronger Internet by responding to major incidents, analyzing threats and exchanging critical cybersecurity information with trusted partners around the world. For more information and to subscribe, visit us-cert.gov.

• Become a friend of the Department of Homeland Security’s Stop. Think. Connect. Campaign. By signing up, you receive a monthly newsletter with cybernews, tips and trends. For more information, visit dhs.gov/stopthink connect-friends-campaign-program. C

The Costco Connection Costco would like to remind members about the identity theft protection service offered through Identity Guard. For information, go to Costco.com and enter “Identity Guard” in the search box.