The Columbia Press
November13, 2020
7
Financial Focus
Senior
Moments
with Adam Miller
with Emma Edwards
Just call me Mrs. Malaprop Protect your finances from cyberthieves
Today is Friday, the 13,
which may or may not mean
anything to you. But, just in
case, have a happy Friday the
13, and don’t walk under any
ladders, don’t break any mir-
rors, don’t spill any salt, don’t
open an umbrella indoors,
don’t pick up a penny facing
down, and don’t let a black
cat cross your path!
If you are one of those who
dread such a date on the cal-
endar, it’s interesting to note
that there are never more
than three Friday the 13ths in
any year.
Why? For mathematical
gurus, the answer is that in
some years it’s affected by
leap year, which is the case to-
day. However, a more signif-
icant factor is when a month
begins on a Wednesday.
Today, Friday the 13th falls
exactly 39 (3 x 13) weeks
before next year’s sole Fri-
day the 13th on August
13, 2021. Why? You research
it. It’s very interesting.
John Wagner, creator of the
Maxine cartoons, reminds us
not to let aging get us down
(it’s too hard to get back up!).
Another thought to ponder:
If we seniors are considered
“senior citizens,” then should
we refer to younger folk as
“junior citizens?”
It’s a good question. I think
I speak for more than a few
senior citizens that these are,
perhaps, the best years of our
lives. One thing I’ve noticed
lately, which I attribute to my
senior citizen status, is the
misuse of common words.
Some can be turned into a
gentle laugh for all while
others can cause embarrass-
ment.
There’s even a word for this,
malapropism. I catch myself
saying a totally wrong word
in place of the right one. At
times, it seems my name
could be Mrs. Malaprop.
Some
examples
from
Wikipedia: “illiterate him
from your memory” instead
of “obliterate,” “he’s the
very pineapple of politeness”
instead of “pinnacle,” and
“she’s as headstrong as an al-
legory on the banks of the
Nile” instead of “alligator.”
And, by the way, we can just
laugh or giggle if someone
gently corrects us. Maybe we
will have a good laugh and
that’s so good for us!
However, I caution you that
we must be careful to laugh
with and not at one of us se-
niors if we use a malaprop.
Sometimes we even catch it
ourselves. We need to learn
to laugh more.
Someone once said, “So
what if people think I am a
few fries short of a Happy
Meal or if another driver on
the freeway doesn’t seem
to have all his corn flakes in
one box. Joy is free. And if
we have a problem we can’t
change, with the Lord’s help,
we can turn it into something
beautiful.” Yes, even when a
black cat crosses our path.
You’ve no doubt heard re-
ports of personal data being
stolen and used for financial
fraud – anything from on-
line shopping on your cred-
it cards to actual theft from
your financial accounts. The
problem won’t go away any-
time soon – but you can take
steps to defend yourself.
Here are a few suggestions:
Use multifactor authenti-
cation or other extra secu-
rity options with online ac-
counts. Many of your online
accounts offer extra security
by giving you the option
to prove your identity in
different ways. With mutifac-
tor authentication, you must
provide at least two different
factors to prove your identi-
ty when you log in to an ac-
count. The additional layer
of security provides you with
much greater protection.
Be creative with pass-
words.
Create
different
passwords for work, financial
services sites, social me-
dia and email – and give
each password some length
and complexity. Consider
passphrases – actual words
combined with symbols and
numbers (for example, “Thi-
sIsAPassphrase!2468”), for
sites that allow them.
Protect your computer and
Special columns in The Columbia Press
Every week: Senior Moments with Emma Edwards
Week 1: Here’s to Your Health from CMH
Week 2: Financial Focus with Adam Miller
Week 3: Off the Shelf by Kelly Knudsen
Final week: Mayor’s Message by Henry Balensifer
your key data. Keep your
antivirus software updated.
And don’t install bootleg or
unlicensed software, which
could infect your computer
with a virus. Also, back up
your important data.
Watch out for fake web-
sites or apps. When making
financial transactions, be
sure you’re on the website
of your bank or financial in-
stitution – and not on a fake
site established by hackers.
Your financial statements
should have the legitimate
website, so bookmark it and
use it when doing anything
with your accounts. Also, be
careful when downloading
apps – stick with those from
established providers such as
Google Play or the App Store.
Avoid “oversharing” on
social media. Cyberthieves
constantly stalk social media
platforms for information
they can use to commit their
crimes. You can help stymie
them by limiting what you
share online.
Keep your full name, ad-
dress and birthday private.
You might also avoid discuss-
ing your plans for upcoming
vacations. And review your
privacy settings periodically
so that only people you know
or approve can see your in-
formation.
Limit
use
of
public
wifi. Hackers often set up
their own wifi networks in
public areas, such as the
computers found in hotel
business centers. Ask an em-
ployee for the name of the le-
gitimate network. And even
when you use it, log off when
you’re finished.
Don’t take the bait of
“phishers.”
Cyberthieves
go “phishing” for sensitive
information – usernames,
passwords and account num-
bers – by sending texts and
emails purporting to be from
a business or financial insti-
tution with which you often
do business. They may claim
your account was “suspend-
ed” or that an “unauthorized
transaction” was made, and
you’ll be asked to click on a
link that takes you to what
appears to be the company’s
website.
If you go along with this
request, you could find ma-
licious software being down-
loaded on your computer.
Legitimate businesses gen-
erally won’t ask for account
numbers or passwords unless
you initiate the transaction.
Other signs of phishing in-
clude threatening language,
“urgent” requests, misspelled
words or odd word choices.
If an email looks suspicious,
delete it without opening it.
This list is not exhaustive,
but by putting these steps to
work, you can at least reduce
the risk of becoming victim-
ized by cybercriminals.
This article was written by
Edward Jones and submit-
ted by Adam Miller, financial
advisor at the Astoria office,
632A W. Marine Drive. To
reach him, call 503-325-7991.
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