CONSUMER INFORMATION
How To Keep Your Personal Information Secure Protecting your personal information can help reduce your risk of identity theft. There are four main ways to do it: know who you share information with; store and dispose of your personal information securely, especially your Social Security number; ask questions before deciding to share your personal information; and maintain appropriate security on your computers and other electronic devices. Read More.... CONSUMER INFORMATION
Electronic Banking Errors You have 60 days from the date a periodic statement containing a problem or error was sent to you to notify your financial institution. The best way to protect yourself if an error occurs is to notify the financial institution by certified letter. Ask for a return receipt so you can prove that the institution got your letter. Keep a copy of the letter for your records. Under federal law, the institution has no obligation to conduct an investigation if you miss the 60-day deadline. Once you've notified the financial institution about an error on your statement, it has 10 business days to investigate. The institution must tell you the results of its investigation within three business days after completing it, and must correct an error within one business day after determining that the error has occurred. An institution usually is permitted to take more time — up to 45 days — to complete the investigation, but only if the money in dispute is returned to your account and you're notified promptly of the credit. At the end of the investigation, if no error has been found, the institution may take the money back if it sends you a written explanation. An error also may occur in connection with a point-of-sale purchase with a debit card. For example, an oil company might give you a debit card that lets you pay for gas directly from your bank account. Or you may have a debit card that can be used for a various types of retail purchases. These purchases will appear on your bank statement. In case of an error on your account, however, you should contact the card issuer (for example, the oil company or bank) at the address or phone number provided by the company for errors. Once you've notified the company about the error, it has 10 business days to investigate and tell you the results. In this situation, it may take up to 90 days to complete an investigation, if the money in dispute is returned to your account and you're notified promptly of the credit. If no error is found at the end of the investigation, the institution may take back the money if it sends you a written explanation. Read More about your rights.... How Google Knows When Your Bills Are Due
By J. D. BIERSDORFER NOV. 28, 2016 Q. This week my smartphone received an alert from Google listing the balances due on my credit cards. My response was “never” do it again, but I have to wonder about my personal financial/identity security. How did they get this information? Is it legal? A. Many credit card and utility companies send payment reminders by email that include details like the name on the account, the payment amount and the due date. What is probably happening here is that Google is automatically scanning your Gmail messages for notices about package deliveries, flight times, restaurant invitations, and yes — bill reminders — and using the information in smartphone alerts for its Google Now/Google Assistant software. If you don’t want to see your bills or other types of personal information in your Google feed, you can make adjustments to the app’s settings. Credit The New York Times Read More...... |
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Jennifer is committed to helping her clients as well as other folks improve their daily financial circumstances by providing simple financial solutions. Archives
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