Write a commentOur guests this week were Nicole Lent and Troy Carey from NBT Bank's Information Security department.
They spoke about the perils of identity fraud and cybersecurity. Ms. Lent is an Assistant VP and Cybersecurity and Fraud Risk Analyst. Mr. Carey is an Information Security Analyst.
They spoke of recent security breaches by Yahoo, Equifax and Target. Half of the US population was effected by the Equifax breach making it a critical matter to safeguard privacy.
Carey spoke about how some breaches occur - via a theft of business records, skimming, account takeover, dumpster diving and someone looking over your shoulder. He continued on what a breach may look like - new accounts may be opened or a new credit card applied for, a loan applied for, most common are random purchases being made and gaining access to already existing accounts.
Both Lent and Carey suggested minimizing your risk by protecting your social security number, being very mindful of sharing personal information, using intricate passwords, shredding important documents and 'think before you click'.
Additionally, they suggest practicing social media security and routinely checking your credit report. A free credit report may be obtained at: www.annualcreditreport.com
