Corporate & Securities Law

FINRA (the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) has published, ?Keeping Your Account Secure: Tips for Protecting Your Financial Information."

According to FINRA, identity theft has advanced well beyond ?dumpster diving? to recover discarded account statements or other records that have not been shredded, though this old-fashioned method still is a threat.  In addition, some identity thieves ?use keystroke-logging software to capture usernames and passwords, disseminating these programs through instant messages, emails, or freeware.?  Likewise, ?others ?phish? for sensitive information by sending phony emails that purport to come from a legitimate financial institution but which ask for information your firm would never request through email ? such as confirmation of an account number, password, credit card number, or Social Security number.?

The FINRA publication discusses a dozen steps that investors can take to secure their brokerage accounts as well as other personal financial information.  Let?s examine those steps.

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