Beyond the Basics: Strengthen Your Fraud Defense

Beyond the Basics is our new mini series on fraud prevention. Each post shares practical steps you can add to your routine to stay ahead of scammers and keep your accounts secure. 

Fraudsters are always changing how they try to get in. That’s why the strongest defense isn’t just sticking with the same tips you’ve heard before. It’s about building a few smarter habits that close the door on their tricks.

Here are four practical steps you can start using right away.

1. Create a Browser Just for Banking

Every extension, shopping site, or saved password in your regular browser is another crack in the door. A separate browser profile just for banking keeps that door closed.

What to do: Set up a profile labeled “Banking” in Chrome, Safari, or Edge. Use it only for logging into your credit union and other financial institutions. Keep it clean, with no add-ons or autofill, and log out every time.

2. Set Up a Bank-Only Email

Phishing emails work best in busy inboxes where bank messages are mixed in with shopping, newsletters, and promotions. Creating an address just for financial accounts gives you a clean inbox where fraud is easier to spot.

What to do: Open a new email account, something like [email protected], and use it only for your credit union and other banks. Keep it out of your everyday shopping and social accounts.

3. Make Daily “Zeroing” a Routine

Payment apps like Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App are useful, but they’re often targeted by scammers. Leaving money sitting there makes it an easy grab.

What to do: At the end of each day, move any balances back to your main financial institution account. Set a quick reminder until it becomes routine. This way, even if an app is compromised, there isn’t much to take.

4. Cut Off Data Brokers and Pre-Screened Offers

Not all fraud starts with your bank account. Sometimes it starts with your personal information being collected, packaged, and sold. That’s where data brokers come in.

What’s a data broker?
A data broker is a company that gathers information about you from public records, online activity, apps, and even store loyalty programs. They build profiles that can include your name, address, age, income range, interests, and purchasing habits. Then they sell those profiles to advertisers… or anyone willing to pay.

Why it matters:
The more widely your personal details are spread, the easier it is for scammers to craft convincing messages, fake calls, or phishing attempts. Pre-screened credit card and loan offers that show up in your mailbox also carry risk. If someone intercepts them, they can try to open accounts in your name.

What to do: Visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website to opt out of pre-screened credit card offers. Use services like optoutprescreen.com or go directly to data brokers to limit how much of your information is sold. Click here for quick access to the FTC website. 

Staying Ahead

Fraud prevention doesn’t mean living in fear. It means putting simple routines in place that make it harder for criminals to get through. With a banking-only browser, a separate email address, a daily zero-out habit, and fewer places selling your data, you can take away many of their best chances. 

Stay tuned for the next part of our Beyond the Basics series, where we’ll share more simple ways to protect your accounts and your peace of mind.

At Front Royal Federal Credit Union, we’ll always stand with you in protecting your money and your peace of mind. If you’d like help setting up these safeguards, call us at (540) 635-7133 or visit frontroyalfcu.org.

Posted by Amanda Thomas in Fraud and Scams.