Did You Know?
- Roughly half of American adults (110 million) had their personal information exposed by cybercriminals in 2015 alone.
- Two-thirds of Americans (65 percent) who use the Internet received at least one online scam offer during 2013.
- Identity theft has been at the top of the Federal Trade Commission's Top Consumer Complaints list for 15 years in a row.
Common Internet Scams
Identity theft is the illegal use of someone else's personal information in order to obtain money or credit. How will you know if you've been a victim of identity theft? You might get bills for products or services you did not purchase. Your bank account might have withdrawals you didn't expect. You may see unauthorized charges on your credit cards. You may even see new accounts opened in your name that you did not authorize. You may fail to receive regular bills or mail. You may be unexpectedly denied for a credit application (when you believe you should qualify).
Phishing attacks use email or malicious websites to collect personal and financial information or infect your machine with malware and viruses. Cybercriminals use legitimate-looking emails that encourage people to click on a link or open an attachment. The email they send can look like it is from an authentic financial institution, e-commerce site, government agency, or any other service or business.
Imposter scams happen when you receive an email or call seemingly from a government official, family member, or friend requesting that you wire them money to pay taxes or fees, or to help someone you care about.
"You've Won" scams occur when you get an email telling you that you have won a prize, lottery, or sweepstakes. Though the person seems excited for you to collect your winnings, they then tell you there is a fee or tax to pay for the prize and request your credit card or bank account information.
Healthcare scams happen when you receive a call, email, or letter that promises big savings on health insurance but claims that you need to provide your Medicare or health insurance information, Social Security number, or financial information to take advantage of the deal.
Simple Tips
- When in doubt, throw it out. Links in email, tweets, posts, and online advertising are often the way cybercriminals compromise your computer. If it looks suspicious, even if you know the source, it's best to delete it. You also have the option, if appropriate, to mark it as "junk email" so you no longer receive emails from this sender.
- Think before you act. Be wary of communications that implore you to act immediately, offer something that sounds too good to be true, or ask for personal information.
- Make passwords long and strong. Create a password with eight characters or more that uses a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols.
- Guard your personal information. Keep Social Security numbers, account numbers, and passwords private, as well as specific information about yourself.
- Unique account, unique password. Create unique passwords for each account. Keeping separate passwords for every account helps thwart cybercriminals.
Protect Yourself from Online Fraud
Banking
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- Avoid accessing your personal or bank accounts from a public computer or public Wi-Fi network, such as the public library. Not only can cybercriminals potentially gain access to your accounts through public Wi-Fi, but strangers can easily shoulder surf and see the sensitive information on your computer or mobile device screen.
- Don't reveal personally identifiable information such as your bank account number, Social Security number, or date of birth to unknown sources.
- When paying a bill online or making an online donation, be sure that you type the website URL into your browser instead of clicking on a link or cutting and pasting it from the email.
Shopping
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- Make sure the website address starts with "https"; the "s" stands for secure.
- Look for the padlock icon at the bottom of your browser, which indicates that the site uses encryption.
- Type new website URLs directly into the address bar instead of clicking on links or cutting and pasting from the email.
Medical advice
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- Be sure to find out who is providing the information and check that you are visiting legitimate websites when you go online.
- Look for websites ending in .edu (for education) or .gov (for government) for legitimate medical information.
RETURN TO CYBER SECURITY & FRAUD AWARENESS