Many millions of people conduct daily business online, yet criminals exploit its unique technology to steal personal data and funds.
Scams typically appear in the form of calls, texts and emails purporting to come from people you know or companies you trust (e.g. banks, governments or services you use). Scammers use these techniques to exploit people's fears and trigger emotional responses such as panic.
Avoid oversharing on social media
Internet fraud can take many forms; one such scam involves the theft of personal information such as credit card numbers or Social Security Numbers from victims. Scammers typically employ various techniques to convince individuals that they are dealing with legitimate entities such as bank employees, customer service representatives or even government officials when actually they're not.
Oversharing on social media can have serious repercussions for your reputation, particularly if the post incriminates or contains discriminatory language. Furthermore, oversharing could expose details about your life that scammers could use to guess passwords or security questions; such as where you attended high school or who your first pet was.
For optimal privacy settings on social media, make sure that you regularly review your privacy settings and only share posts with those you trust or a custom list of contacts. Furthermore, if you find that you check social media too frequently consider taking a break or adding multi-factor authentication.
Block scammers from reaching you
Be wary of scams! Without adequate protection in place, scams can easily catch us off guard. Cybersecurity offers valuable protection by constantly monitoring for suspicious activity on your data and offering efficient tools for managing, recovering or deleting it as necessary.
Make sure that you watch for signs of fraud, such as messages that purport to come from a company or service you trust (such as your bank, government agency or even Netflix), with urgent warnings of imminent cancellation or negative repercussions if something isn't taken care of immediately. Be wary of requests to pay by means other than via your bank account or credit card.
Always ensure you verify the credentials of companies or legal professionals you're uncertain of using Companies House(external link opens in a new window / tab). In addition, be wary of clicking suspicious links or attachments sent through emails, texts or social media as doing so could expose your device to malware.
Use a strong password
An average person uses passwords to log into virtually everything from email and online banking accounts, to checking email. Unfortunately, many use weak passwords like "123456" or dictionary words that make them easy for hackers to guess.
Passwords should be strong and secure - they should include uppercase letters, numbers and symbols from across your accounts - while Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), an extra layer of security which requires entering a code or verifying your identity before accessing a particular account, should also be enabled on them.
Scammers target everyone, but avoiding becoming their victim can be done through smart shopping practices and being wary of links in emails, social media or SMS messages. Be cautious of companies you're unfamiliar with before submitting any personal data online - Companies House(external link opens in new window/tab) can also give an indication as to their track record in trading.
Keep your personal information private
Protecting yourself from online scams requires keeping personal information private, such as address or credit card numbers, safe from exposure. Any emails, texts or calls asking you for this type of data (whether from retailers, charities or long-lost relatives) should be treated as suspicious requests and avoided immediately.
Avoid clicking suspicious links in emails and texts messages as these could contain malware that could infiltrate your device, leading to fraud or phishing attacks.
Use of strong passwords is another simple yet effective way to safeguard against cyber fraud. Generating complex, unique passwords that combine upper- and lowercase letters as well as special characters and numbers, then change them frequently and avoid using the same one on multiple accounts. Furthermore, use secure Wi-Fi connections whenever possible instead of public or unsecured ones - this will prevent hackers from compromising your cybersecurity by accessing personal data stolen by thieves and exploited by them.
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