Cybersafety During Social Distancing

Technology has been vital in easing the emotional and psychological burdens of social isolation, something we’ve seen in some of the stirring outpourings of online communities large and small.

Unfortunately—as we often find during times of crisis—there’s also been a rise in bad actors hoping that as people spend more time online they may begin to let their guards down.

Here are some tips to help you keep your online activity as healthy as your hand-washing habits:

• Rather than clicking on links in emails or news stories for information on the coronavirus, go directly to the World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control websites for the latest updates
• The same goes for text messaging apps, which have become new vehicles for spam and online phishing expeditions
• Use extra scrutiny—even with legitimate-looking emails you receive from companies you do business with. Many companies have sent emails about their responses to the coronavirus and scam artists are jumping on that bandwagon. If you wish to visit a company online, go directly to their website rather than through any links in seemingly innocuous emails or texts
• Don’t put any personal information or credentials into a website unless you’re absolutely certain that you’re at the correct and trusted location—one easy way to check that the site is secure is by looking at the address; if it begins with “https” (note the “s”), it is encrypted. Reputable sites also typically have a privacy policy linked at the bottom of the page and may also feature a security seal with their bona fides
• Contact us if you are unsure about any message’s provenance, particularly as it relates to your finances. Don’t click first and ask questions later.

At Adviser Investments, we have security measures in place to prevent any unauthorized access to your accounts. We’ve worked closely with our account custodians to set up procedures for the wiring and transfer of money, which greatly limits the potential for fraud. We also follow up on any suspicious communications, confirm any unusual requests and always adhere to the instructions clients have given us for handling their accounts.

The ramifications of getting duped online are upsetting and too common, but vigilance is important, particularly when emotions are running high. Please give us a call if you’d like to know more, have any questions or if we can reassure you about your online safety (or any other concern you may have).

We’re always happy to hear from you, so please don’t hesitate to let us know how you’re feeling or how we’re doing.

About Adviser Investments

Adviser is a full-service wealth management firm, offering investment management, financial and tax planning, managed individual bond portfolios, and 401(k) advisory services. We’ve been helping individuals, trustsA legal document that functions as an instruction manual to how you want your money managed and spent in your later years as well as how your assets should be distributed after your death. Assets placed in a trust are generally safe from creditors and can be sold by the trustee in short order, avoiding the lengthy and costly probate process., institutions and foundations since 1994. Adviser Investments and its subsidiaries have over 5,000 clients across the country and over $8 billion in assets under management. Our portfolios encompass actively managed funds, ETFsA type of security which allows investors to indirectly invest in an underlying basket of financial instruments (these may include stocks, bonds, commodities or other types of instruments). Shares in an ETF are publicly traded on an exchange, and the price of an ETF’s shares will fluctuate throughout the trading day (traditional mutual funds trade only once a day). For example, one popular ETF tracks the companies in the S&P 500, so buying a share of the ETF gets an investor exposure to all 500 companies in the index., socially responsible investments and tactical asset allocation strategies, and we’re experts on Fidelity and Vanguard mutual funds. We take pride in being The Adviser You Can Talk To. To see a full list of our awards and recognitions, click here, and for more information, please visit www.adviserinvestments.com or call 800-492-6868.