Spring is an excellent time for a fresh start—not just for your home but also your finances. Taking a few simple, proactive steps now can help you avoid fraud, protect your hard-earned money, and keep scams, unauthorized charges, and identity theft at bay. A little spring cleaning for your finances can go a long way toward peace of mind all year.
Here’s how to give your finances a proper spring cleaning:
- Review Your Bank Statements. Fraudulent activity often starts small—just a few unrecognized charges here and there. Carefully review your bank and credit card statements for unfamiliar transactions. If you notice anything suspicious, report it immediately to your financial institution.
Pro tip: Sign up for eStatements to secure your statements in Online and Mobile Banking. You can then access them anytime throughout the year.
- Check Your Credit Report. You’re entitled to a free credit report annually from the three major bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) at AnnualCreditReport.com. Look for accounts you don’t recognize, incorrect personal details, or credit inquiries you didn’t authorize.
Important: If you find errors, contact the credit bureaus immediately. You can begin the process easily online.
- Strengthen Your Account Security. Updating your passwords is a simple but effective way to reduce fraud risks. Use strong, unique passwords for each financial account and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) whenever possible. MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second verification step, such as a code sent to your phone.
Good to do: Review and update your account recovery settings to ensure you’re appropriately alerted if suspicious activity occurs.
- Declutter Your Financial Documents. Fraudsters can use discarded documents to steal your personal information. Shred old bank statements, credit card offers, and other sensitive paperwork instead of simply throwing them away. Organize and secure critical digital financial documents, store them in a password-protected or encrypted folder, and regularly back them up.
Hint: If you don’t have a shredder at home, check out when financial institutions may hold free “shred days” in your community or go to your local UPS store to shred your documents inexpensively.
- Stay in the Know with Account Alerts. Enable transaction alerts to get notified about cleared checks, ACH activity, low balances, and more. These real-time updates can help you quickly spot suspicious activity like unexpected purchases, large withdrawals, or logins from unfamiliar locations—giving you the power to act fast and protect your finances.
Start today: Using our online or mobile banking service, you can set up account alerts quickly and easily. Need assistance? Ask one of our experts or call 405-755-1000.
Stay One Step Ahead By taking a few simple steps to “spring clean” your finances, you can minimize fraud risks and ensure your money stays safe. Stay proactive, review your financial habits regularly, and enjoy greater peace of mind throughout the year.
