How To Avoid Being Scammed Online

Scammers are masters of social engineering, which is the art of manipulating people into giving up their personal information. They are great at making their calls and emails sound sincere, so you need to be on guard. We’ve compiled a list of tips you can use to avoid being scammed.?

Don’t open messages and links that look suspicious.

It’s easy to be lured into clicking on a link or opening an attachment in the hope of getting something for free. When you get emails from an unfamiliar address, try not to open them or click the links included, even if you want to say “no."?

Use unique, strong passwords.

Use a unique, strong password for every account you have. If you use the same password for all your accounts and services, hackers will be able to see when one account is compromised. Your password should be at least 10 characters long and include upper and lower case letters, numbers and other characters.

Watch out for unusual requests

If someone asks you to send money or offers you something that seems too good to be true, it probably is. If someone asks for sensitive information like this, it's best not to respond at all rather than provide any personal details whatsoever.?

Be cautious of the websites you visit.

First of all, you should always check websites for the padlock symbol and https://. These symbols mean that the website is secure and encrypts your information so that it cannot be hacked or stolen.

Sign up for additional security to protect your accounts

For example, you can add two-factor authentication to your account. You can also ask your bank about additional security features like alerts that allow you to be notified of suspicious or large transactions, or new features like fingerprint ID login capability and chip-enabled cards to protect against lost or stolen cards.?

Don't share too much information online.

Don’t give out any personal information over the phone or online unless you know who you are dealing with and what their intentions are. This includes your address, phone number, and birthdate. It also includes your login credentials for all of your accounts—email, banking, shopping—anything that someone could use to access your real identity and money.?

Ultimately, the best advice is to be wary of all that you come across online. These scams are growing increasingly sophisticated, and as such, everyone is susceptible to being fooled by them. So do your best to stay on your toes and make sure you verify the legitimacy of any site or job offer or email before interacting.?

To stay ahead of the game, here are some cybersecurity terms you should know.?