Did you know that last year alone, more than 13 million people were victims of fraud or identity theft.

I don’t know about you but that scares me. Luckily there are some simple steps you can take to help prevent these types of crimes.

To get started:

1. Update your contact information now.
   This is actually a powerful way to fight fraud. Having your up-to-date info—especially your mobile phone number—lets your financial instution contact you ASAP if there’s suspicious activity.
2. Beware of emails or texts asking for your personal information.
   Financial institutions, the IRS, and most other businesses that you deal with will use your name or reference your account number. They WILL NEVER ask for your account information, Social Security number, debit card PIN or password via email or text message. As an extra safety measure I try to get them to provide the information they have to me so I am not accidentally giving them information they don’t already have.
3. Check your account frequently to look for suspicious activity.
   Enrolling in online banking helps make it easy to stay on top of your transactions. Turn on real-time notifications for your accounts. Contact the institution right away if you notice anything fishy.

Check out more information about fraud prevention from the people at Capital One to help keep yourself and your money safe.