With COVID-19 still raging, holiday celebrations will look different for many of us this year. I know I’ll miss my annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot and extended family gathering. To make things worse, hackers have been ramping up their cyber scams. The FBI says cybercrime complaints have quadrupled since the start of COVID-19.
The best way to avoid becoming a victim? Be smart about cyber scams and think before you click. Here are 8 tips I’ve put together to help you recognize and avoid holiday cyber scams.
Don’t Invite Hackers to Your Online Party
Grandma won’t appreciate a bad actor “Zoom bombing” her Thanksgiving. Be sure to use a password or waiting room and follow best practices for securing your online meetings.
Shop Safely
Only shop on secure websites. Look for “https://” in the address bar of your web browser. In general, the holiday season is not the time to try out new shopping sites. Internet sources you aren’t familiar could re-direct you to a website containing malware. If a deal looks too good to be true, it’s probably a cyber scam.
Beware of Disinformation
Never respond to (or forward) unsolicited emails, texts, or social media messages from people you don’t know. The best thing you can do instead is just delete the message. Check out my previous post for more information on how to spot fake news.
Eyeball Your Accounts
Review activity on your bank and credit card accounts regularly to look for any charges you don’t recognize. You can also set up alerts with your bank to flag large or suspicious transactions. Don’t directly respond to email from your bank or use links in emails to access your accounts. Instead, open a new browser window and type in the URL directly.
Check Your Charities
If you plan on making charitable donations, be sure you know the charity and the intended use of the funds. You can use online resources like Charity Navigator or CharityWatch to check the legitimacy of a charity before making a donation.
Distrust Delivery Notices
Did you get a delivery notification for something you weren’t expecting? That email or text could be a scam. Other variations can be a fake shipping problem scam or fake order confirmation scam. Avoid these tricks by going directly to the website to check the status of your orders.
Share with Care
Be aware of the information you’re sharing online, especially on social media. Hackers can use the information you post to supplement previously leaked data and create a holistic picture of your identity.
Use Strong Passwords.
Last but not least, always use strong and unique passwords. Many Americans still use simple dictionary words or personal information for their passwords. Attackers now use computer programs to guess passwords – and those programs can guess a five-character password using only use lowercase letters in just a few seconds. Create complex passwords and use a password manager to keep track of them.
Happy holidays from all of us at Invario. Whether you’re sheltering in place, safer at home, or practicing business as usual, I hope the season finds you, your business, and your family safe and prosperous.
Dave
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Referral$
If you know of a company that would be interested in the services of Invario, please email me the company name along with the phone number and email for the person we should contact.
That is all you have to do! Upon completion of the onboarding of a new customer, Invario will pay the equivalent of one month of Invario service to that customer. Recipients that cannot or do not wish to receive a referral payment may elect to have the referral fee donated to a charity of their choice or put into a company entertainment fund.