The FBI posted multiple public service announcements in December 2024 warning of the top scams to watch out for. New innovations that have made scamming an even more accessible activity. AI has resulted in more realistic and natural sounding phishing emails, believable advertisements for fake products, real-time face swapping tools and even cloned voices. According to the FTC, 20% of imposter scam targets in 2023 resulted in lost money. Earlier this year, a French woman who had recently divorced her husband, handed over almost all of her divorce settlement -nearly $800,000- to a scammer claiming to be Brad Pitt in order to help fund medical treatments for his kidney cancer. AI generated images of the celebrity in a hospital bed may have been the difference between an innocent person’s financial security and a criminal’s most exciting pay day to date. Scams have become more believable and even more difficult to detect, which is why it’s so important to protect your personal data. Join me as I break down a few strategies to help you stay safe and keep your identity secure!
Don’t Click on Links
Clicking on unknown links can be surprisingly harmful to you and your devices. Not only can clicking a link immediately infect your device with malicious software like viruses or malware, it can also grant hackers access to all of the information stored on your computer, potentially exposing your online activity, files, and personal data. Malicious links can also lead to fraudulent websites that may ask you to enter personal information as well such as passwords and financial data.
Don’t Answer
Even simply answering a phone call from an unknown caller could result in real and potentially devastating consequences. Though it is unlikely that simply answering a call will result in immediate consequences, it does indicate that your phone number is active, which is valuable information for scammers who are looking for their next target. You can try adding your phone number to the national do not call list which will make it illegal for companies to call you, scammers however tend not to follow the rules so it’s important to be cautious of calls you receive.
Update Devices
Software updates can include important security measures. This includes your browser, applications and operating system. Hackers will target vulnerabilities before companies get the chance to fix them, it could save you from data or identity theft by keeping all systems updated as soon as a new version is released.
Two-factor Authentication
If it’s available to you, multi-factor authentication is the safest way to verify that an authorized user is attempting to access your accounts. You can never be too careful!
Research Companies Before Transaction
If you’re looking to make a donation or purchase something from a company you’re not familiar with, a quick Google search might help you to avoid making a life-altering mistake.
Watch for Suspicious Payment Methods
Scammers will often ask for payments in the form of gift cards or cryptocurrency, or even just sending physical cash through the mail. This is because these methods are impossible to track or reverse. There are many websites that offer gift card exchanges which allow scammers to turn gift cards into real money, which is the reason that this has become a popular strategy for fraudulent activity and cause for extra caution when spending money!
Secure Home Wifi
Malware can spread to other devices that share the same network, so if your device gets infected it could impact all of the devices connected to your home wifi. By changing your default network name, avoiding easily guessable passwords, ensuring your router is using WPA3 encryption, keeping the router’s firmware up to date, and making sure its firewall is enabled you can prevent vulnerabilities that might cause serious damage to you and your family.
Use a Password Manager
Lots of research has shown that us humans aren’t very good at creating strong passwords that we can actually remember. A password manager can create strong passwords for you and store them on your device or in your browser. Make sure your password for your password manager is strong too!
Monitor Your Credit
Regularly checking your credit reports from all three major credit bureaus is the best way to stay informed about the status of your credit. You can also sign up for credit monitoring that will notify you if fraudulent activity is detected.
Be Cautious
This may seem like an easy one, but better safe than sorry. Scammers have the ability to spoof calls to make it look like they’re calling from a number you recognize, so you could actually receive a call from your family member, then hear someone else’s voice through the line after you answer the call. If someone is asking you for information, or urging you to take action quickly, they’re doing this intentionally so that you have less time to consider what you’re about to do. Just as I was typing this paragraph I received an email from someone I didn’t know with a receipt attached for a McAfee security subscription I had allegedly purchased with a conveniently bolded “refund help line” phone number placed in multiple spaces on the invoice. Of course I am familiar with this particular scam and will not be rushing to dial that number but some may not be and it’s important to keep in mind that you are not an easy target, you’re not easily tricked, scammers are just very experienced at what they do and no one is safe from them. If you feel as though you may have been scammed, ask for help immediately.
Scams are getting more efficient and more frequent. As technology evolves in our favor, there’s always malicious actors waiting to capitalize on vulnerabilities while we work out the kinks. You may think you’re immune to scams, but you might only realize that’s not the case only after it’s too late. You can report scammers to the better business bureau and the federal trade commission online. You can also report identity theft if you believe your personal data has been stolen. To check your devices for viruses, you can run antivirus scans to identify malware. Read our blog post about data privacy regulations if you’re interested in reading more about staying safe and keeping your personal information protected.
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