Internet Safety Tips
Scammers are savvy these days, using artificial intelligence and other tools to steal people’s money and identity. Even the most experienced Internet users could fall for a scam if they’re not careful. However, you don’t need to be a tech expert to avoid getting scammed, it just takes vigilance and knowledge of the most common scams and signs to look for.
Whether you’re messaging with friends, streaming music, watching movies, buying clothes, or paying bills, there are a number of internet browsing tips anyone can follow to protect themselves against scams. Let’s start by looking at some of the latest trends in social media and Internet scams.
Be Aware of the Latest Internet Scams
The first step to protecting yourself from an Internet scam is to be aware of the latest trends and how to spot a potential scam before it happens.
AI Scams
Artificial intelligence is the ultimate tool for Internet scams, and “deepfake” audio and videos make it hard to fight against them.
With just a short recording of someone’s voice, scammers could impersonate a family member or your employer and trick you into transferring funds. In 2024, a scammer used AI to impersonate the CFO of a multinational company in Hong Kong during a video conference call. The phony CFO convinced one of the company’s employees to transfer $25 million into the scammer’s accounts.
Scammers also use AI to create better phishing emails, text messages, websites, and official-looking documents.
Imposter Scams
Scammers may pretend to be a friend, relative, coworker, or a government official to convince someone to give them money. These include “grandparent scams,” where a scammer pretends to be a grandchild who needs financial help.
Romance and Social Media Scams
A scammer uses AI, social media, emails, and text messages to establish a relationship with someone which results in the scammer asking for money. The relationship may be “romantic,” although some scammers pretend to be a friend.
The request could be a plea for financial help with an “emergency,” or the scammer might claim they need the money to visit the victim. Dating apps are a frequent tool of romance scammers.
“Accidental” Texts
A scammer pretends to text the wrong person with an innocent-looking message, such as “I’m running late,” or “I need to reschedule our appointment.” When the recipient replies that they’ve got the wrong number, a scammer uses that as a chance to initiate a conversation about an “investment opportunity” or some other scam.
Employment Scams
A scammer posts a bogus job listing online. Sometimes they’ll impersonate a real company and give fraudulent contact information. Scammers may use this to collect personal information, such as a Social Security number.
Sometimes a scammer might try to convince the victim to pay for training or equipment. A scammer could also send a fraudulent check for a large sum and ask the recipient to pay back some of the funds with an electronic transfer.
Phishing Scams
While phishing scams have been around for a while, AI lets them be more sophisticated and harder to spot. They can use AI to scour your social media posts and the Internet for information they use to write convincing emails or text messages.
Their goal could be to trick you into revealing information about yourself or your employer, to click on a fraudulent link that installs malware on your phone or computer.
How to Prevent Internet Scams
To avoid being scammed, it’s important to remain vigilant against all hacking attempts and to follow these Internet safety tips.
Use the Right Cybersecurity Tools
The first line of defense against hackers and thieves is to make sure the antivirus software on your device is up to date.
Antivirus software helps protect against malware, which is a file or code that can infect your device, steal sensitive information, and more. If you don’t use antivirus software, some reputable providers offer basic versions for free. Just make sure you install the software’s updates when available.
It may be worth the money to subscribe to security software that protects against more dangerous types of malware. This includes spyware, which mines your personal information, and ransomware, which encrypts your files until you pay a ransom to regain access. Do your research so the security software you subscribe to is legitimate and worth the cost.
For security software recommendations and reviews, check out resources like ConsumerReports.org and PCMag.com.
Use Multifactor Authentication (MFA)
Multifactor authentication (MFA) gives an extra layer of security to your accounts and devices. With MFA, you would have to approve any attempt to access your accounts through an app on your smartphone or a text message. Any hackers who knew your password or tried to change it would be blocked from doing so, as long as you still had your phone.
Protect Your Passwords
Use strong, unique passwords on every site where you have an account. This is crucial for sites that access confidential personal or financial information. Obvious or reused passwords provide no protection. If a hacker cracks one account, they’ll try that password for every account connected to your email address.
Many security experts recommend using a password manager. It creates, encrypts, and securely stores your passwords in a vault. You can access any of those passwords with a single complex password and let the password manager automatically enter your information when you access one of your accounts.
Password managers can also store other information like credit card numbers and PINs. Many reputable password managers offer a basic service for free, with a small fee for premium features or multiple devices.
Try a Virtual Private Network
A virtual private network (VPN) is an encrypted internet connection between a device and a network that protects sensitive data and blocks unauthorized access to your traffic and identity.
VPNs are common in corporate environments, so if you work remotely, you may already use a VPN to access your employer’s server. They’re also useful if you frequently connect to the internet using public Wi-Fi. VPNs also protect against your data being sold by your internet service provider. (Yep, that’s a thing.)
If you’re trying a VPN for the first time, go with an established provider with good reviews and a money-back guarantee. Make sure the VPN does not track your internet traffic or sell your data to third parties—many free VPN services do. Look for a simple, user-friendly interface and good customer service, preferably with 24/7 live chat.
Limit Personal Information Shared Online
Your online behaviors are a valuable protection against cyber threats and identity theft. Limit the personal information you share online. This includes:
- credit card and bank account numbers
- address
- phone number
- other identifiers
Think twice before posting social media comments with personal thoughts and details about your life. Hackers can use this information to guess passwords or as part of impersonation schemes.
Use Social Media Protections
Protect yourself on social media by adjusting your privacy settings and options.
- Restrict who follows you on social media.
- Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know.
- Block your content from search engines, so they’re only visible to your followers. Remember that any follower can screenshot what you write.
- Don’t link your social media accounts. Anytime you link an account, you increase the visibility of whatever you post across multiple platforms. Personal information that’s available in many places makes you more vulnerable to phishers.
- Don’t post personal information that’s commonly used for passwords or password security questions, like the name of your elementary school or first pet’s name. Avoid posting about where you bank and shop. Even seemingly harmless facts can help scammers locate you.
- Don’t post anything you don’t want the world to read.
Phishing Scam Prevention Tips
Scammers are getting more sophisticated with email and text messages, so don’t click any links or open attachments from sources you don’t recognize. They may even send links to websites that look exactly like a website you trust.
Look for other telltale signs that a message is a scam:
- Incorrect company names or URLs. Scammers often use slightly different spellings or extensions to trick you into thinking they’re legit.
- Poor spelling and grammar.
- Generic greetings, such as “dear customer.” Official messages are nearly always personalized with your name instead of a generic greeting.
- Urgent calls to action. Keep an eye out for red flags like “your account is suspended, reset your account password now,” or other high-pressure calls to action.
Shop Safe Online
Online shopping is generally safe. That said, always look for a security padlock symbol to the left of the company’s name in the URL bar. Click this icon to visit the site’s security certificate.
Double-check the URL begins with HTTPS. This indicates the data you send and receive is encrypted.
If you still want to buy from a vendor that’s selling directly on social media or want to use a site without proper security in place, it’s best to use a service like PayPal.
Your PayPal account is linked to your credit card or bank. Purchases you make via PayPal are encrypted and the seller can’t access your account number. Still, anytime you use PayPal, make sure your security software is updated and avoid any financial transactions using public Wi-Fi.
Contact your bank if you think your financial information has been breached.
Verify, Verify, Verify
Before clicking on a link or replying to a message, consider who sent it and why. If someone requests funds, such as pretending to be your boss or a relative, try calling them back using a number that you know and trust. You could do the same thing with someone who claims to be from your bank or credit card.
If you suspect a scammer is impersonating someone you know, ask them questions that only the real person could answer.
How Vision Bank Protects Our Customers
We offer several layers of digital and physical security for your accounts. This includes:
• Making it easy to report lost and stolen credit cards or debit cards.
• Encryption technology and timeout features for online banking.
• Multifactor authentication.
• Checking IDs for in-person banking.
• Callbacks on wire transfers, to verify legitimacy
• Card control and card processing features through our mobile app and digital banking.
Contact Vision Bank to Learn More About Our Secure Banking Services
We want to help our customers avoid getting scammed. If you have any questions about your financial security, please contact us or visit one of our many South-Central Oklahoma locations. You can also check out our blog for the latest news on avoiding Internet scams.