The fundamentals of scams are the same. However the technology used is increasingly more clever. It is important to know how to spot identity theft and credit card fraud and where to report it if and when it happens. Today’s guest is Paige Hanson. Paige is an authority in consumer and digital safety with nearly 20 years of experience in identity management. As co-founder and Head of Communications and Partnerships at Secure Labs, Paige has dedicated her career to protecting consumers and businesses from identity theft and cyber threats. She is a certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist and holds a certificate in Identity Leadership from the University of Texas. Paige also serves as an advisory board member to R.O.S.E. (Resources/Outreach to Safeguard the Elderly).

Show Notes:

• [1:16] - Paige shares her background and what she does in her current roles.

• [3:02] - She worked with LifeLock in the early days of her career, but the experience led to her expertise in identity theft now.

• [6:08] - Chris shares what happened to a friend and their experience with identity theft.

• [7:40] - The Federal Trade Commission has an Identity Theft Affidavit.

• [9:25] - If you pay a bill that was made by a fraudster, it will be considered that you made the charge. Paige explains what best practice is.

• [12:06] - Always watch your credit card bills and take note of things that look unusual. Pay attention, even to the small charges.

• [13:47] - Notifications from your credit card company are a must have.

• [16:07] - Sometimes the notifications can seem annoying, but when something is out of the norm, these tools are critical.

• [17:48] - When you get an email that includes a link to login to an account, even if you recognize the sender, don’t click it. Develop the habit of using your browser.

• [20:22] - It can happen to anybody! Chris and Paige are security-minded, but it could happen to them as well.

• [22:48] - Paige shares an experience of noticing charges that she did not make and how noticing it early, she could cancel the order.

• [24:29] - Always use multi-factor authentication. Paige also recommends using an app in addition to what is included with your credit card company.

• [26:37] - Check links and make sure they are correct.

• [29:02] - At one time, Chris owned a business and shut it down because of the number of people making a fraudulent order.

• [30:45] - Online shopping and online payments are so common and a credit card doesn’t even need to be present to make a purchase.

• [32:35] - Paige explains how skimmers work and how they store card numbers.

• [35:19] - The likelihood of this happening is slimmer than other scams, but there are low-inconvenience and low-cost preventative measures you can take.

• [36:07] - The safest way to make in person payments is through mobile pay. If a location is breached, it doesn’t have your card info.

• [37:18] - If you use mobile pay, it is crucial that you keep your operating system up to date.

• [41:23] - When it comes to ATMs, it is best to go inside your bank’s branch and use the one inside. The worst ATMs to use are stand alone that are not attached to a bank.

• [44:33] - Identity theft could be accomplished by fraudsters by just taking advantage of low hanging fruit.

• [46:29] - Paige recommends using a credit card rather than a debit card.

• [49:11] - When traveling, Chris has a specific card that limits the amount of loss in the event of an issue.

• [52:47] - Using a service like PayPal helps with keeping things updated on accounts.

• [54:33] - When we make a convenient choice, we need to consider all the parts of risk management.

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