A close friend got scammed. Not because he was careless, but because someone who was very good at it spent real time and effort targeting him. Around the same time, I kept hearing how common this is, here and across the country. So I started reading and listening. After a few books and a podcast, I did three things, and I made a simple guide so you can do them too.
What I Did
I locked my phone number. Your phone number is where many accounts send their security codes. If someone moves your number to their phone, those codes go to them. A number lock with your carrier stops that.
I added an authenticator app to my email. Your email is the master key, since most password resets go there. An authenticator app creates codes on your phone that can't be intercepted like a text message. I use Microsoft Authenticator, but there are other good free ones.
I froze my credit. A freeze at all three credit bureaus means no one can open new credit in your name. It doesn't affect your score, and lifting it when you need credit takes a few minutes. One heads up: the bureaus will try to sell you paid monitoring along the way. You don't need it. The freeze itself is free.
None of this makes you scam proof. But it closes some of the most common doors.
What I read and listened to
- Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- Influence by Robert Cialdini
- The Confidence Game by Maria Konnikova
- The Perfect Scam, a podcast from AARP
Next month I'll share how these changed the way I think when something feels off.