Hurricane Irene has come and gone, but has left an aftermath of devastation. While this is a time when people want to reach into their pocketbooks and assist those in need, these type of crises also provide the opportunity to thieves to play on your emotions to take advantage of the situation. I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone on the safety while donating.

“Phishing” is when a malicious person or company impersonates a legitimate one in order to trick you into giving out your personal information, such as credit card numbers, passwords, social security numbers, etc.

Wacky weather has been quite the issue all winter long. With the high winds wrecking havoc on our roof, fences, etc., repairs are now necessary.

Tax season is upon us and this is a time to be especially cautious with your personal identifying information. Tax season is a prime time to give an identity thief an opportunity. Your tax documents contain every bit of information that they want, name and address, date of birth, social security number, and now with the benefit of direct deposits for your refund, they can also include your bank account and routing number. This is enough information for the thief to drain your bank account and to set up credit to ruin your good name.