5 Ways to Prevent Cyber Crime
Cyber crime is no longer limited to corporate businesses. As we grow more dependent on technology we are at a higher risk of personal information being taken. Here are 5 ways to prevent cyber crime from the comfort of your own home.
1. Think twice before opening an email attachment: Even if it comes from a trusted friend or family member, take extra care with attachments. If it looks suspicious, it probably is and should not be clicked. One way to know for certain if the link or attachment is legit is to quickly text who sent it to you just to verify. It may seem like an unnecessary step, but scammers and hackers are the invaders of the internet.
2. Protect your Passwords: We know how tempting it is to have one password you use for everything. Don’t do this. If a hacker finds this password, they have the keys to your personal kingdom! Make your passwords long and strong with a variety of capital letters, numbers, and special characters. If you can, use multi-factor authentication or an internet security suite like Norton.
3. Protect your belongings: This sounds simple, but even leaving your purse on your chair while you refill your Diet Coke can lead to a cyber crime. Keep your phone with you rather than leaving it behind to protect your personal information.
4. Delete sensitive information: If you have passwords, medical information, bank account numbers, or anything else stored in the Notes of your phone, delete it when it is no longer needed. This is bait for a hacker!
5. Verify requests for private information: Con artists are clever individuals and have tactics to trick us into falling for their scams. “Grandma, I need $10,000 because I’m locked in a Peruvian jail.” Sound familiar? This was a popular scam a couple years ago and it tricked thousands of elderly folks out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Verify the caller, why they’re calling, and why they need your money/information. If it sounds fishy, it probably is.