Check Your Bank Statements Regularly

[swampgator]

Dusty,
I was going to send this to you via PM, but think that others who worked for the government either directly or via contractor, may be victims of the database breach of OPM about 18 months ago. If anyone ever worked for a government agency, or a contractor, or ever applied for a security clearance, you had records with all your personal information in the OPM database. Also, your family records are all there. Of the 22 million records breached, very few were notified. Some were offered a ID theft program that you could pay for. OPM would match the cost up to 10 years. Personally, my information was breached, was notified and offered nothing. So, anyone who fits the criteria, monitor your accounts, your credit information and even your local court house records. I have records of places I have never lived or heard of. With all this technology and putting personnel information out there, you are highly subject to personal violation.

Steve, the old swampgator

[jsburger]

Dusty,
I was going to send this to you via PM, but think that others who worked for the government either directly or via contractor, may be victims of the database breach of OPM about 18 months ago. If anyone ever worked for a government agency, or a contractor, or ever applied for a security clearance, you had records with all your personal information in the OPM database. Also, your family records are all there. Of the 22 million records breached, very few were notified. Some were offered a ID theft program that you could pay for. OPM would match the cost up to 10 years. Personally, my information was breached, was notified and offered nothing. So, anyone who fits the criteria, monitor your accounts, your credit information and even your local court house records. I have records of places I have never lived or heard of. With all this technology and putting personnel information out there, you are highly subject to personal violation.

Steve, the old swampgator

My wife and I were both notified that our data was part of the breach. We were both offered free credit/fraud monitoring for I believe 3 years. It was not automatic. You had to go to the web site and set up an account. Nothing about 10 years or having to pay. We don't pay anything. The monitoring web site is https://opm.myidcare.com. Our accounts are still valid.

I don't understand why there would be a difference in what was offered (or not) for the SAME breach.

[jsburger]

Dusty,
I was going to send this to you via PM, but think that others who worked for the government either directly or via contractor, may be victims of the database breach of OPM about 18 months ago. If anyone ever worked for a government agency, or a contractor, or ever applied for a security clearance, you had records with all your personal information in the OPM database. Also, your family records are all there. Of the 22 million records breached, very few were notified. Some were offered a ID theft program that you could pay for. OPM would match the cost up to 10 years. Personally, my information was breached, was notified and offered nothing. So, anyone who fits the criteria, monitor your accounts, your credit information and even your local court house records. I have records of places I have never lived or heard of. With all this technology and putting personnel information out there, you are highly subject to personal violation.

Steve, the old swampgator

Please tell us how YOU know that. We were notified prior to the confirmed breach of a possible breach and then when it was confirmed we were notified again and how to try and protect ourselves through OPM with FREE credit/fraud monitoring.

[garys]

Be especially diligent watching your bank accounts if you bank with Wells Fargo. 5,300 of their employees have just been fired and Wells Fargo has been fined $100 million for dipping into people's accounts. Your bank might be just as much threat to your money as the hackers are.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles ... e-accounts

[ERLover]

The 2 biggest crooks there are, Banks and Attorneys

[garys]

I did my banking with Wells Fargo for many years until a few years ago when they instituted all those new fees on accounts. Then I pulled everything from them and took it elsewhere. Now we know why they started with the new fees. It was part of their master plan to scam their customers.

If any of you are Wells Fargo customers, I suggest you dump them now. Waiting any longer could hurt you badly.

[jsburger]

I have a Wells Fargo account because my mortgage is with Wells Fargo. It is a simple no fee checking account. I have my military retirement go there and Wells Fargo deducts the mortgage payment twice a month automatically. Very convenient.

I have never had a problem but then I only use the account to pay the mortgage. The mortgage will be paid off in 18 months and then I will close the account and have the retirement check sent to my credit union where I do all my other banking.

Wells Fargo certainly deserves what they got but then again it amazes me there are so many people that are so clueless not to notice when something changes or does not seem right.

[JPG]

[quote="jsburger" . . .

Wells Fargo certainly deserves what they got but then again it amazes me there are so many people that are so clueless not to notice when something changes or does not seem right.[/quote]

I would attribute that to a reasonable assumption that banks are run by honest management.



Sadly an assumption that is not reasonably accurate lately.




Remember $$$$ is de root of 'all' evil.

[Ed in Tampa]

[quote="jsburger" . . .

Wells Fargo certainly deserves what they got but then again it amazes me there are so many people that are so clueless not to notice when something changes or does not seem right

I would attribute that to a reasonable assumption that banks are run by honest management.



Sadly an assumption that is not reasonably accurate lately.
Remember $$$$ is de root of 'all' evil.

I think the problem is more about laziness. I know people that are so lazy they don't open their mail. I have a buddy that when the mail came he placed it on the counter. Then when company came he scooped everything off the counter into a paper bag that he put in his den. It finally got that he could not get into his den. He had thousands of dollars in stocks, bonds and checks in those bags. I thought he was unique until I kept running into people that do the same thing. They simply don't care to look at bank statements or sort through the junk mail so they just save everything promising themselves that ONE day they will go through it all.

I really don't think our graduating students have ever been trained to deal with banks, insurance, social security or the internal revenue like we were when I went to school. In school we had to balance checkbooks. Do tax returns and purchase the best deal in life insurance.

I do not believe most of today's young people know how to read a bank statement or balance a check book.

[ERLover]

Ed you are correct on the high school thing. Last semester in senior year they should have a minatory business/finance class on all that stuff. The secrets of saving, even at these low interest rates, putting 10$ a week in a savings account for retirement would make a huge difference. A Star Bucks El Grande Latte.
Schools think mom and dad should be teaching this at home, and it should, but many mom and dads now dont have a clue, or the self discipline themselves.