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Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves Matthew 10:16. Turns out there are plenty of wolves on the Web.Scammers are using fake websites at an increasing rate trying to lure you into a con that separates you from your money. Today, Kingdom Advisors President Rob West tells you how to be wise on the web. Then we take your calls at 800-525-7000.

This is a global trend involving all kinds of fake websites and different types of scams. In 2020, worldwide cybercrime was estimated at nearly onetrillion dollars.Phishing is a way to get you to reveal your financial information under false pretenses by creating an air of legitimacy. A scammer might send you an official looking email from an address that closely resembles a real account.Never respond to a request to change a password unless you’ve initiated it yourself from the real website. If you get a request out of the blue just delete it.Another way to spot a fake website is takea close look at the URL. Obviously, Amazon.com is the real domain name. But a scammer might use something like Amazon.security.com, which would seem real,but isn’t.At the beginning of the URl or web address, look for the letters HTTP or HTTPS. The S at the end of that string of letters indicates that you have a secure connection and your data can’t be intercepted. Never input any sensitive information where you don’t see the HTTPS.You can also look for trust seals on the site. They’re logos with names like McAfee or Norton Security. But just seeing one isn’t enough. To be sure the site is secure, click on the seal to reveal the verification information.Google offers a free service called theGoogle Safe Browsing Transparency Report. You can go to that web page and paste in a URL you think might be suspicious, and you’ll get an immediate report on whether the site contains any unsafe content like malware that could compromise your financial information.

Here are a couple of questions we answered from our callers on today’s program:

I sold my mobile home and am looking at building a house on our property. Should I use money from my 401k to do this?I am a teacher and am able to retire this year. I can choose from an annuity or a PLOP. What do you advise?I went online and tried to open a broker’s account, but it said I already had one. How do I find out where this is?What does the Bible have to say about tithing?

Ask your questions at (800) 525-7000 or email them [email protected]. Visit our website atMoneyWise.orgwhere you can connect with a MoneyWise Coach, purchase books, and even download free, helpful resources like the MoneyWise app.

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