Every family should have a plan to protect their physical assets. You know, such things as your home, your property, your vehicles, your belongings, etc. However most families do not have a plan to protect their digital assets. What are we talking about when we say digital assets? We are talking about proof of identity, proof of ownership, undocumented assets and much more.

Here is a short list of the dangers and risks experienced by individuals and families that did NOT have a plan in place to protect their digital assets and therefore were tricked or swindled out of some or most of their assets:

• FBI says scammers cost older Americans $3.4 billion last year!
• Texts from banks are the scammers number one ruse.
• Fake sites on the internet offering ready-to-dupe discount seeking shoppers is increasing.
• 40,000 Americans reported an instance of credit card fraud.
• Scammers steal billions, but rarely do they get caught.

If you don't think these scammers will attempt to get your digital assets, think again. Last year, my wife and I had over six attempts to access our digital assets. These attempts resulted in having to replace our bank debit cards multiple times, plus we even had malware downloaded onto a device, because one of us clicked on a dubious email that we should not have clicked upon. So what kind of plan will help you protect your digital assets? Here's a short list of the possibilities:

• Set up transaction alerts with credit card companies and banks so that you are alerted immediately when a dubious transaction is posted.
• Scan your critical documents so you have a digital copy AND a paper copy of each critical document.
• Take a two-minute walk around the house and record everything with a video camera or your phone's camera. Do it once a year and don't forget to add an annual reminder to your digital calendar to do another annual walk through.
• Backup your computer files on a storage device in a separate location or into the Cloud.

The https://family-preparedness.com website has a great resource to help a family prepare for a potential digital scam or natural disaster where assets could be potentially lost. It's call the Asset Protection Plan Tiny Course and every family should check out this course to protect their identities and everything they own. Here's a short list of the benefits and value of taking this inexpensive tiny course:

• A proper Asset Protection Plan can prove ownership of assets.
• A proper plan also has resources to prove identities, ownership, and memberships.
• A proper plan is able to help you document and protect your assets by using multiple proving methods.
• A good protection plan describes which primary assets to document first. A better protection plan describes which secondary assets to document next.
• Learn where to go for additional asset protection help from the experts.

We encourage you to check out our website and subscribe to our blog posts for valuable information about protecting your assets and your family from potential disasters. You can do so by following the link below: https://family-preparedness.com. Or, if you want to cut to the chase and get started immediately on protecting your family's digital assets, here's a link to the Asset Protection Plan Tiny Course: https://family-preparedness.com/tiny-courses-main-menu/asset-protection-plan-tiny-course/

Don't put off this critical step to protect your digital and physical assets. The dangers and risks of not taking action, could cost you time, money, identity and even, everything you own. Be safe. Be prepared!