As our financial lives become increasingly digital, we have the freedom to manage money anywhere there’s an Internet connection. Digital money management allows you to get the job done in much less time and to track your cash flow and budget in clever new ways. But making the leap from paper to cyberspace can be [...]
What Do You Do If Your Credit Card Number Is Stolen?
I recently had an unauthorized charge on my credit card. I don’t know where it came from or how it got there. And unfortunately, I’m not alone. It seems like everywhere you turn there is a news broadcast or article discussing the rise of credit card fraud, especially on the web. There are a variety [...]
How to Protect yourself From Identity Theft
The occurrences of identity theft continue to grow despite the fact that the average consumer is becoming more educated about the frequency of this crime. Identity theft occurs when someone other than yourself uses your identity to open lines of credit and various utilities. If you have been the victim of identity theft, by the [...]
Beware of Cash For Clunkers Scams
The Cash For Clunkers bill was recently passed by Congress, and is currently waiting to be signed into law by President Obama. The Cash For Clunkers Bill, officially called the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), gives consumers the opportunity to trade in old vehicles for a voucher to be used for a new car. Understanding [...]
Watch Out For Stimulus Check and Government Grant Fraud!
By now, most people are aware that Congress did not include a second economic stimulus check for everyone when passed the second economic stimulus program, called the American Recovery & Reinvestment Plan. Instead of a second stimulus check, the government included the Making Work Pay tax credit, which reduces the amount of taxes withheld from [...]
Prevent Identity Theft
Identity theft is a serious crime that can destroy your finances and ruin your life. Identity theft can ruin your credit score, destroy your ability to take out a loan, or even get you arrested for crimes you did not commit. There are three methods to protect against identity theft and the damages it can [...]
Military Personnel Prime Targets For Identity Theft
Military members are increasingly becoming targets of identity theft. Thankfully, I have not been one of the countless victims of identity theft. One of the main reasons military members make easy targets is because their Social Security Number is used for tracking everything in the member’s career. Member’s SSNs end up on literally thousands of [...]
Does the Military Pay System Cause Troops to Use Payday Loans?
The military has recognized that many of its troops get into financial trouble by frequenting Payday loan companies. The problem has become large enough for the Pentagon to attempt to limit interest charges on loans to military members. There are several reasons why military members use payday loans. Lack of financial education is one reason [...]
MyPay Security Features
MyPay has stronger on-line security features than many financial institutions. Earlier this year, Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) announced implemented a new security measure to myPay, the on-line website for military and civilian pay. The new security feature is a virtual keyboard used to input your PIN information. Users are required to input their PIN [...]
Identity Theft Risk – Hackers Gain Access to MyPay Accounts
MyPay, the on-line pay system utilized by the US Military, has seen a recent increase in hacker activity leading to stolen account information and the diversion of pay for some individuals. The bad news is that if a thief can access your myPay account, they can not only divert your funds, but they have access [...]