Don’t be fooled. Cybercrime is a business operation. It’s Global and Organised, cybercriminals work in teams. They even work from call centres.
What are they after?
What they want most is Money.
They will most likely try and infect your computer to hold your data at ransom. They will also try very hard to con you into investments scams. These threats are real and should not be taken lightly. If you have participated to the point where you have made a payment or where they could access your information, they pretty much have you pinned in a corner.
Why are we at higher risk right now?
2020 Started with Lockdown and this caused criminals to think out of the box. It caused a Phishing Frenzy.
In short, a Phishing Frenzy is a Fraudulent attempt to manipulate people into doing or using things, they wouldn’t normally be using. They will even try and contact you through email or social media or pose as if they are contacting you from another company or even as a client you may have done business with in the past. Be very careful.
What can we expect beyond 2020?
Computer users can expect even more Phishing attacks. These can even cross over to laser Phishing, with more and more people using electronic voice-activated devices.
Ransomware attacks are here to stay. It’s a very easy way to get hold of your computer and files if not secured, or if you don’t have backups.
We can expect Covid-19 Relief fund payment fraud to rise. Don’t fall for a scam. If it’s too good to be true, it normally is.
What can you do to protect yourself?
Stop. Think. Verify.
Awareness is at the top of the list. Educate yourself and your family or employees. Use your critical thinking mind. Ask yourself these questions:
- Does it invoke emotions such as fear or curiosity?
- Do you know the sender?
- Did you expect this email?
Do you know how to spot a bad link? Before you click on a link, hover your cursor over the blue link. Look for a popup. It will start with: http://……. What comes next is important. If you do not know the site or where it points to, DO NOT click on this link. Close and delete the email.
Do you have strong passwords? It is vital not to reuse your password for anything else. If you have trouble thinking up strong passwords, why not use a password manager. Why not try: https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Apply multi-factor authentication to accesses important information.
Limit what you share about yourself online and social media. Your pets’ names, where you live, when and where you go on holiday or who your friends are your Children’s names and birthdays. These are all tips a hacker will use against you.
Verbally confirm a money transfer. Don’t trust an email. Make sure of the facts before you do any payments.
Back-ups of all your information and email correspondence is very important. Make sure you have a good IT Guy to take care of all your back-ups and keep your firewall and security patches up to date. Looking for someone. Why not try MightyWeb.
Always do background checks on all your staff members. You might be very surprised.
Keep yourself safe. Stay up to date.
Article courtesy of Allan Gray