Tips on How To Not Become a Victim
Ever receive any of these calls?
“This is officer Clara from the Social Security office informing you that your SS# is in danger of being cancelled because of fraudulent activity with your account.”
Or, “This is officer Allen from the IRS, we’re having trouble sending you the $1,200.00 stimulus check, we just need to verify your bank account.”
Hint #1 – Government agencies and Banking institutions normally never call you and ask you for personal information over the phone or to verify the same, in the first place. Don’t be duped into it.
The risk of buying online….be on guard
Scammers are thriving and scams are getting more sophisticated as we adjust to a more and more on on-line transactions. For instance, who would have ever thought of buying a car online, without checking it out in person and taking it on a test drive? Witness, Carvana and Vroom. Someone I know has a friend that just got taken for over $30,000.00 for a car that never existed in the first place. The entire process appeared to be legit but, was never verified, including the legitimacy of the escrow company. The entire process began with a Facebook add she responded to. Now, she’s out the money and very embarrassed that she fell for the scam.
Scams come in all flavors and colors
Whether it’s a Facebook Ad, a phone call, a site you happen to click on, scams keep getting more sophisticated. For instance, as we expose ourselves online, we may inadvertently reveal our phone number, email address and other personal information. How about the experience of having an ad for what you have just been searching for, pop up right after you searched for it on Google, Amazon or eBay? How did they know that I was even looking for that? Or, you received an unsolicited message, an email or phone call from what appeared to be a legitimate source. Hmmm, perhaps Google or Facebook sold your information. And the beat goes on.
What to watch out for and protect yourself
1. Stay Informed: By following some basic common sense and security measures, half your battle is won. Although there are governmental watchdogs for scam and fraud prevention, it’s still the individual’s responsibility to educate and protect their personal information. For instance, when buying that car or other item major item, always VERIFY. You may not always be mindful of it but, the reach of the Internet is Worldwide with over 4.5billion users. Most scams originate from areas of the world out of reach to US agencies.
2. Exploitation Through Social Engineering: Is the exploitation and manipulation of people and is the greatest vulnerability, whether it’s through your computer or phone. Frequently that’s passwords, specific private information and specifics that get leaked out. Humans are trusting by nature and lead to exploitation via social-engineering
3. Never Share Your Personal Information: If you get a message, an email or a call, claiming to be from your bank or other source that sounds credible, don’t share any sensitive information with them. Your bank or a government agency would never call and ask you for such information. For instance, verifying your SS#, bank account numbers and such – scammers would. To be safe always call your bank or agency and ask them to verify the source of that message/email.
4. When Online, Be Careful What You Click On: One of the weakest points of entry for Viruses and Malware are other sites. So, don’t click on sites that you are not familiar with and watch out for the FREE, games and porn, they are notorious for spreading viruses.
5. Secure Your Passwords. This is your first line of defense against all types of malicious intrusions of your Internet connected devices. By following simple password conventions, such as may be recommended by your bank or, other businesses that store personal information, like Credit Card info, you’ll have taken the first step in securing your information. A good practice, especially for your sensitive accounts, is to change your passwords at a minimum of once every 6 months. For added security, especially when working with financial or highly personal information, follow a two-step verification process. This is where after you enter your password, a message is sent to your Smart Phone, requesting a code you need to enter before going any further.
6. Update Anti-Virus Programs: The devices you use to get online need to be protected. Keeping up with the anti-virus and malware scams is a cat-and-mouse situation between hackers and anti-virus and malware programs. Nothing is 100% secure. Programs such as PC-PcMatic and Malwarebytes offer good protection. If you use an unsecured Wi-Fi network, such as you’ll find in most coffee shops, you need to look for a product that includes a VPN. Products such as Bit Defender or WebRoot, fit the bill. Avoid FREE unless you know what you’re getting, as these may contain Malware themselves, have adds and may be poorly supported. Also do not mix multiple anti-virus software on your system, as this may lead to conflicts.
7. Update your OS (Windows): Make sure that your operating system is up to date, that along with an updated version of a decent antivirus software, will generally be adequate to keep your system safe. If using Windows, you should be on Windows 10 and current on the updates.
8. Maintain a System Backup: If your data, like photos or business information is important to you, make sure it’s backed up, in case your system crashes or some really funky Malware gets into your system. The best practice is having an external drive backup, plus a cloud based system backup for your system and at minimum, your most important data. You may opt to use any reputed backup service like Carbonite, Acronis etc.
In Closing
Don’t panic – Be Smart, remember that when going online you no longer are dealing with your local banker or retailer, the world is now open to you. Although the major service providers, vendors and institutions we normally use do a good job in crime prevention, like mentioned earlier, it’s still a cat and mouse game.
