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OPSEC: Keeping Your Family and Yourself Safe
by Marianke Phillips, posted July 2010
Marianke Phillips
Senior Contributor
marianke@armywifemagazine.com
www.householdzes.com
Operation Spouseformation
Archives: OpSpouseformation
Many organizations and individuals are out to harm others, especially our military and their families. Not following the rules of, or violating OPSEC/ PERSEC can put you and your loved ones in danger. Not only personal attacks, but attacks on the identity can be done, via identity theft. We all know our spouse’s social security number is used so much within the military system and we do not want an unknown person to steal our identity, which can ruin a life.
So what can you do?
Be alert and be careful with what you share with the world. Be aware of what is wrong and what is right. When you are contacted by an organization claiming to need more information then you normally wish to give out, that should ring an alarm of caution. Stop, do not say one more word, research them and file a fraud report with the FBI, if necessary, at http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx. If you feel your life is in danger, contact your local law enforcement immediately.
How to protect your identity
There are several ways to protect your identity. Being that your soldier’s social security number is out there, this might be a little bit harder, but certain organizations are specialized in protecting your identity.
When making purchases online, make sure the online store you purchase with is a true, authorized online store. Do not share any of your credit or debit card information where anyone can read it.
To get help protecting your identity you can sign up for services that are specialized in identity theft protection like www.Lifelock.com and www.ProtectmyID.com. From personal experience with Lifelock (for over two years), I can share with you that their service really works. When my husband and I PCS’d from Wisconsin to Texas, we had to leave for New York City the day after we arrived in Texas, where I had a television appearance on a Dutch show that was being taped there. As we were waiting for our luggage at La Guardia airport, we received a call from the fraud department for suspicious debit card transactions. Of course we had used our debit card during our move between Wisconsin and Texas for gas and food- then, we had used it in Dallas again and in New York. This type of card activity would look suspicious to anyone. It was only us who had used the card, and they needed confirmation. It was a comfort to know that Lifelock was on the watch. What if someone really had used our account number without our knowledge?
On another occasion, while my husband was deployed last year, we were nearly a victim of a phishing scam. There was a debit of our account of $0.01. This seemed odd to us. The fraud department called about that, too. They determined someone was trying to phish for more information on us, so they could use the card for several purchases online. The card was immediately blocked and we received a new debit card with a different card number and information.
I encourage you to protect your family’s identity immediately before it is too late. Even your newborn can be in danger of identity theft. Both websites allow you to get every family member protected for a low combined fee.
Military family do’s and don’ts
We all know how sad we are when our soldier has to leave, or how excited we are when they return from a tour of duty. We want to share this with anyone. But I have to stop you there. DON’T! It can harm your soldier!
As a military family you are a target for anyone who wants to harm this country and its military. To protect your soldier, yourself and your family, I have compiled a list of do’s and don’ts:
- Think about what you share on the internet and with family and friends. Your soldier is in a place of danger. Any information that gets out there that can be obtained by adversaries will be used to attack your soldier and his comrades. For instance, your soldier sends you a picture of himself. That is wonderful of course. But, in the background it shows parts of the camp he is in, the fortifications and security positions they have. If this is made public, the enemy knows the protection the camp has, and can find a better way to harm your soldier and his fellow comrades.
- Any information on yourself, where you live, your phone number, can also be used against you in scams and personal attacks. Recent reports state that families were notified by so called “Red Cross representatives” stating their soldier was hurt overseas. They stated they needed certain information to make sure this was that soldier. They were phishing for information to use and to steal identities (including credit card information).
- Do not post dates of deployments and homecomings, and your soldier’s specific unit. Your soldier is ready to deploy, and you want to post how many days you have left. Do not post this! This gives the enemy information on the mission ahead. Do not post the exact date of homecomings either. Most units have created a code system so only you and family members know exactly when your soldier is arriving stateside. Until the unit has left the danger zone and has safely landed stateside, the unit is still in harm’s way.
- Don’t let anyone know you are alone! When your soldier deploys, or is out for training, do not show any signs that you are alone. Decals or t-shirts that say “Half of my heart is in Iraq,” a blue star service flag, your soldiers dog tags hanging out of your shirt, indicate you are a military dependant and that you might be alone due to your spouse serving overseas. This can be observed by sexual predators that see you as a weak target.
- Leave your front porch light on at all times when you are at home or leave the house at night. Move your husband’s car or truck from time to time, so it appears that he might be home.
- Do not post on public websites you are home alone either. In the past, families have been approached by individuals impersonating service members, who were going from door to door, stating that the service member of the family was killed in action overseas. The impersonator could have been a sexual predator. The consequences could have been very bad if the family member had not been alert.
Predators are out there everywhere and smart enough to figure out where you are these days. Protect yourself and your family!
Marianke is a foreign born Army Wife from the Netherlands, married to Active Duty US Army Soldier, Jon. She loves to assist other Army Spouses by sharing beneficial information and resources with them. She served as a former FRG Leader and is a certified Army Family Team Building Instructor. She is also an aspiring photographer, next to her full time job at one of America's biggest retailers
working at its Photo Lab and Guest Relations. If you know of a resource that would be beneficial to other wives, please email Marianke at Marianke@ArmyWifeMagazine.com. You can also read Marianke's personal blog at www.HouseholdZes.com.
The definition of the word “safe” means “free from harm, injury or risk; safe from foes.” We all want safety for the ones that are dear to us, the ones we love, and especially our soldiers who are already in harm’s way. To make sure that you and your family are “safe,” as a military family, you should follow the rules of OPSEC/ PERSEC. This stands for Operations Security and Personal Security, respectively, and is a process that identifies critical information to determine if friendly actions can be observed by adversary intelligence systems. It determines if information obtained by adversaries could be interpreted to be useful to them, and then executes selected measures that eliminate or reduce adversary exploitation of friendly critical information. When you follow the rules of OPSEC/PERSEC, it will bring you one step closer to being “safe.”
Photo by Marianke Phillips
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