Financial Privacy: Protect Your Personal Information and Your Money

A message from your accountant. A call from a family member. A payment request from a familiar vendor. When something appears to come from someone you trust, it can be easy to act before asking questions.

Scammers take advantage of that familiarity. They may use publicly available details—or compromised accounts—to make fraudulent requests seem legitimate. Protecting your financial information means paying attention to both what you share and how you verify requests.

Here are four common scams and practical steps to help protect yourself.

Recognize Scams That Exploit Trusted Relationships

1. Impersonating Your Accountant or Financial Advisor

A scammer may pose as your accountant, attorney, or financial advisor and request documents, account information, or an urgent payment. A familiar name or convincing email signature does not guarantee the request is genuine.

What you can do: Confirm unexpected requests through a phone number or communication channel you already know. For sensitive documents, use your established secure portal rather than a link in an unfamiliar message.

2. Inventing a Family Emergency

These scams create pressure by claiming a loved one needs immediate financial help. Criminals may even use AI-generated audio to imitate a family member’s voice.

What you can do: Pause and call your loved one using their known number. If you cannot reach them, contact another family member who can help verify the situation. A familiar-sounding voice alone is not proof of identity.

3. Sending Fraudulent Business Payment Instructions

A request may appear to come from an executive, vendor, or business partner. The message might ask you to change bank details, send a wire, or release confidential employee information. Some scams originate from a real email account that has been compromised.

What you can do: Establish a verification process for new payment instructions and changes to banking information. Call a previously verified contact number before updating vendor records or sending funds. Make this part of your bookkeeping and payment procedures.

4. Building Trust Before Offering an Investment

Some scammers spend weeks or months developing a relationship before introducing an investment opportunity. Friendly conversations, apparent shared interests, and professional-looking websites can make the eventual request feel credible.

What you can do: Independently research the investment and the person offering it. Avoid making investment decisions based on unsolicited messages or a relationship developed online. Pressure to act quickly or promises of unusually high returns deserve careful scrutiny.

Make Financial Privacy Part of Your Routine

Limit Unnecessary Public Details

Review what your social profiles reveal about your family, work, travel, and financial interests. Consider sharing travel updates after you return and limiting who can view personal posts.

You do not need to disappear online. The goal is to be deliberate about which details are publicly available.

Review People-Search Listings

People-search websites may publish addresses, phone numbers, and family connections. Many offer an opt-out process, although removal from one site does not erase public records or prevent information from appearing elsewhere.

What you can do: Search for your name periodically, request removal where available, and revisit listings over time.

Strengthen Account Security

Consider using a dedicated email address for financial accounts rather than the address you publish publicly. Protect accounts with unique passwords and multifactor authentication, and keep account recovery information current.

Separating accounts can support your privacy plan, but each account still needs strong security.

Monitor Accounts and Verify Before Acting

Review bank and credit card activity, enable useful transaction alerts, and investigate unexpected account changes promptly.

For business owners, regular account reconciliations can help bring unfamiliar transactions to your attention. Pair those accounting controls with clear approval procedures for payments and access to sensitive information.

If you discover a fraudulent transfer, contact your financial institution immediately and report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Acting quickly may help recovery efforts.

Protect the Information Behind Your Financial Life

Financial privacy works best when it becomes a habit. Sharing thoughtfully, securing accounts, and independently verifying requests can help you protect the money and relationships you have worked to build.

At Cohn, Lopez & Associates, our accounting services and financial planning support help you stay organized and make informed financial decisions. Located in Winter Park, we offer in-person and virtual appointments.

Let’s review your financial processes and identify where clearer records and payment procedures could help.

Call 407-960-3652 or schedule an appointment.