#738: Hackers Waited 3 Months for This Couple’s $1.2 Million Deal, with Dr. Eric Cole [GREATEST HITS]

• You Are the Target, Not Just Big Companies: Attackers deliberately go after individuals and small businesses with weak security, precisely because large companies have dedicated security teams. Small, repeated thefts — sometimes as little as $50 a month — often go unnoticed for years.
• Banks Protect Themselves, Not You: FDIC insurance covers you if the bank itself fails. It does not cover you if your password gets stolen and someone drains your account through an electronic transfer — in most cases, that loss is legally yours to absorb, not the bank’s.
• Never Trust a Wire Instruction From Email Alone: A hacked closing company can sit inside a compromised server for months, waiting for a large cash real estate deal before sending fraudulent wire instructions. Always call the company directly, using a phone number you look up yourself, to verify any wire transfer before sending money.
• Turn On the Security Features You Already Have: Two-factor authentication, account alerts, and a unique password for every site close the vast majority of the vulnerabilities scammers exploit. Nearly all the account takeovers Eric saw traced back to a reused or weak password alone.
• Separate Your Devices by Risk: Reserve one device for high-value activity like banking and financial logins, and use a separate, simpler device for everyday browsing and email — so a phishing click on the browsing device can’t cascade into access to your money.

See your full financial picture — income, debt, safeguards, and goals — in one place with our free one-page worksheet:
Get the worksheet

Secure Anchor Consulting
Dr. Eric Cole’s firm:
secure-anchor.com

Signal
The encrypted messaging app Dr. Cole recommends for sensitive conversations:
signal.org

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