Beyond the Basics: Daily Routines for Lasting Protection

Fraud prevention isn’t always about spotting the big, headline-making scams. More often, it’s the small, daily choices that give you the strongest protection. When you build a few simple habits into your routine, you take away common entry points that criminals look for.

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

Here are three habits that are easy to start and can make a lasting difference.

1. Silence Unknown Callers and Give Front Royal FCU a Custom Ringtone

Phone scams are designed to create panic. Scammers may pretend to be your credit union or bank and ask for account details. You can make those calls easier to spot and easier to ignore.

Why it helps: Silencing unknown numbers means you never hear scam calls ring. Giving Front Royal Federal Credit Union’s number its own ringtone helps you recognize a legitimate call right away.

How to do it: Save our official phone number (and any other of your financial institutions or credit card companies) in your contacts and assign them a unique ringtone. Turn on Silence Unknown Callers in your phone settings.

2. Keep Sensitive Photos Off Your Phone

Phones often hold more private information than we realize. Photos of checks, IDs, tax forms, or even documents with barcodes can all be misused.

Why it helps: A screenshot or backup could expose account numbers or personal details. Criminals look for those images because they can be reused in scams.

How to do it: Avoid storing photos of sensitive documents. If you have to take one temporarily, delete it right after use. Turn off automatic backups for folders with deposits or IDs. If you share images, crop or cover account details first.

3. Put Subscriptions on a Trial Run

New subscriptions are convenient, but they can sometimes hide unexpected charges. Give each one a probation period before you set it on autopay.

Why it helps: Fraudsters and shady companies depend on “set it and forget it.” If you pay manually for the first couple of months, you’ll spot anything unusual before it slips by.

How to do it: Pay manually for two billing cycles. Once you’re sure the service is legitimate and billing correctly, then set up recurring payments.

Staying in Control

Fraud prevention doesn’t have to mean major life changes. Habits like using virtual cards, silencing unknown calls, deleting sensitive photos, and delaying autopay add up to stronger protection. These routines give you more control and leave fraudsters with fewer chances.

At Front Royal Federal Credit Union, your safety is our priority. If you’d like guidance on setting up these habits, call us at (540) 635-7133.

Thank you for following along with our Beyond the Basics series. Remember, every small habit adds up to stronger protection. At Front Royal Federal Credit Union, we’re proud to be your partner in building that peace of mind!

Posted by Amanda Thomas in Fraud and Scams.