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Resources to Protect against Fraud and other Cyber Related Issues

Our firm exists to serve families with financial planning, investment, tax, estate and other related guidance. Over time, we have seen where clients are largely unprotected from a cyber security standpoint and are subject to fraud or theft by organized criminals.

As cyber threats continue to grow—with AI and increasingly powerful technology making attacks more sophisticated—it’s more important than ever to stay informed and take proactive steps to protect yourself and your family.

Using Common Sense as Your First Line of Defense

These are a few general advice items we can share:

  1. If you’re contacted with a sense of urgency, slow down and ask a friend for a 2nd opinion before acting – it’s likely a scam.
  2. Nobody needs money with such urgency that you cannot call them back, ask a friend or your advisor for guidance.
  3. The IRS will NEVER call you – they mail letters.
  4. If you are unsure about an email or phone call, let them know that you will call them directly using the phone # listed on your statement or their public website.

As technology evolves, so do the tactics of scammers targeting individuals, particularly those with meaningful financial assets. As with anything in life, awareness is the first step toward prevention. Based on our experience serving wealth management clients, we highlight the most common scams in email, phone, text, and the physical world—and how you can protect yourself in this blog https://twpteam.aiserver7.us/staying-ahead-of-scammers-common-threats-to-watch-for/

Additional Resources to Protect Your Finances Online

Most of us have heard about Identity Theft. Criminals steal your identity so they can steal money from you by accessing your existing account, or opening a new account in your name. Our best advice is to freeze your credit to prevent anybody (including yourself) from opening any new credit, celphone or other account that will cause you a headache. Credit monitoring is another common tool, but it only alerts you when something bad has already happened.

Our advice to clients is to check your credit report annually and to keep your credit frozen until such time you need it thawed.  More details and how to can be found on our blog at https://twpteam.aiserver7.us/credit-protection-freezing-and-thawing/

Passwords are the keys to your digital world. We recommend having the strongest keys (15 character, non-English words, 2 factor enabled) for all of your financial, medical and email accounts. The bad guys get access to more powerful tools each month to break into your digital fortress. Read more about passwords and using a password manager on our blog https://twpteam.aiserver7.us/strengthen-your-digital-defense-the-power-of-strong-passwords-and-2fa/

Some call us cyber aware and others call us paranoid. We prefer to play it safe by treating email as a postcard (people with mal intent can read contents). This can be done either by hacking into your email, or worse, reading emails as they are sent over the internet. Yes, that is possible!! Avoid sharing sensitive financial information through email. Instead, use more secure methods such as client portals, encrypted file upload systems, such as the Total Wealth Planning’s secure file upload, or even text/SMS.

We have not seen clients impacted by this yet, but it does happen in rare cases. The advice we give clients is to sign up for property title change alerts. We’ve listed most these alerting systems on our blog ( https://twpteam.aiserver7.us/protecting-your-property-from-deed-fraud/), or you can contact your county’s recorder’s office or website to enroll.

As an independent and fiduciary wealth manager, we partner with best in class custodians such as Charles Schwab and Fidelity Investments in order to keep our client’s life savings safe from cyber crime. These custodians (as do we) heavily invest in technology, training and monitoring to protect clients. Some of the advanced features available must be turned on, such as: 2 step login verification, paperless statement delivery, unique passwords or biometric VoiceID. You can learn more at each custodian’s safety and security sections of their websites:

  1. Charles “Schwabsafe”  – https://www.schwab.com/schwabsafe
  2. Advanced Schwab Security Features: https://twpteam.aiserver7.us/schwab-security-features/
  3. Fidelity – https://www.fidelity.com/security/take-precautions-at-home

For those seeking help who may not have a friend or family member to rely on, we recommend seeking a professionally trained IT and Security consultant, or reach out to a partner we’ve used to help clients (and ourselves) in the past. Mark Hurley is an expert in digital privacy and founder of Digital Privacy Protection. His team can help with these topics and many others.  You can review Mark’s service offering on this brochure

Many consumers and law enforcement report current scams to the Federal Trade Commission. You might consider checking this page occasionally to see what threats are in the wild https://consumer.ftc.gov/scams

The FBI has a similar page at https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-frauds-and-scams

  • Our team works together in a private physical office on desktop computers. We don’t carry around laptops and attempt to work at Starbucks, hotel lobbies, or golf courses.
  • We employ state of the art cybersecurity hardware and training using a multi-layered approach.
  • Encrypted email connections with key partners making vital communications occur in a closed & secure system.
  • Regular cyber security training by a rotating group of outside experts
  • Third party email phishing and network penetration testing, along with internal policies to check before you click on unsolicited email links.
  • Monitored anti-virus on all business computers.
  • We utilize 2 factor authentication logins anyplace we store client data or where available.
  • We engage only with industry vendors who demonstrate equivalent or better approaches to cybersecurity.
  • Video surveillance of physical office, with off hour alerts.
  • Clean desk policy to protect sensitive client information during off hours.
  • Regular system monitoring, patches, updates, and enhancements.
  • All paper documents, notes, etc. are in a locked bin until they are shredded and recycled.
  • All company related login credentials are stored in a password manager in an encrypted fashion. Employees are encouraged to protect personal credentials in the same manner.
  • Operational team members stay on top of cyber events, potential threats and share with the team in timely manner.

Protecting your personal privacy is just as important as guarding against cyber threats. While cybersecurity focuses on keeping data safe from breaches, cyber privacy is about controlling what personal information you share—and who has access to it. Simple habits like limiting what you post on social media, reviewing privacy settings on your phone and computer, and being cautious with images or voice recordings online can make a big difference. With the rise of AI tools that can mimic voices and create deepfake content, even small pieces of personal information shared publicly can be misused. Practicing digital mindfulness helps protect your identity and your family’s security over time.

2025 Cybersecurity Webinar Replay

Thank you to everyone who joined our July 2025 cybersecurity and cyberprivacy webinar with Mark Hurley. If you were unable to attend or would like to revisit the conversation, the full replay is available below. You can also download the presentation slides to review key takeaways and action steps. We encourage all clients to stay informed and proactive when it comes to protecting personal and financial information.

Download Presentation Slides

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Total Wealth Planning specializes in securing retirement and keeping your nest egg growing and protected from market and fraudulent disasters. Please contact us at the number at the top of the page or schedule a time to have a friendly conversation about your needs and how they might match with our services.

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