Seminar Teaches Ways to Protect Against Identity Theft
By: Shayla Patrick
Updated: May 2, 2012
JOPLIN, MO - Mobile account alerts and online banking are tools that can make it easier to keep track of your personal finance. The problem lies in who is tracking you. Arvest Bank has taken an interest in identity theft and will offer new ways to help protect residents.
"We've even seen text messaging as a new way to try to compromise someone's information, says Josh Rinkenbaugh, Arvest Bank Marketing Officer. "Methods of technology and electronic compromises just continues to grow as we become more of a digital age," he added.
According to the 2012 Identity Fraud Report from Javelin Strategy and Research, information revealed on social networking sites can also help thieves steal your identity. Answers to common security questions like your birthday and mothers maiden name are often displayed in online profile pages. Besides obvious methods like shredding important documents, professionals also recommend taking a proactive approach when called to discuss banking concerns.
"If someone contacts you and asks for your personal information, make sure you are asking some questions back because there is really very few reasons why anybody would need to call you for that information," Rinkenbaugh explains.
After a dramatic decline in identity fraud from 2009 to 2010 ... Fraud cases increased from 4.3 to 4.9 percent in 2011 and continues to rise this year. If you'd like more tips on ID theft prevention, Arvest bank will host a seminar is this Friday, May 4th, from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the Mills Anderson Justice Center on the Missouri Southern Campus. The event is free and open to the public.
