Scams

Email phishing attacks and online malware attacks are common and dangerous. Stay alert and suspicious to protect yourself.

• Be suspicious of urgent requests for personal financial information.
• Be wary of threats, such as issues with your account that require immediate attention.
• Look for typos and grammatical errors.
• Check the sender’s email address to see if it’s been slightly altered.
• Pay attention to generic greetings and signatures.
• Don’t click on links in unsolicited emails, which may lead to spoof websites.
• Don’t download attachments in unsolicited emails.
• Don’t use links in an email, message, or chat to visit a webpage if you suspect the message is not authentic.

• Turn on automatic software and operating system updates
• Let your security software run automated scans
• Install anti-virus software, anti-spyware programs and keep them updates
• Use a firewall to prevent unauthorized access to your computers and devices
• Don’t connect to a public Wi-Fi network, which is often unsecured
• Don’t click on email links or respond to text messages someone you don’t know
• Regularly back up your files to protect yourself if something goes wrong
• Only download apps and software from official app stores and reputable sources
• When in public, disable your device’s Wi-Fi and switch to a cellular network
• If you’re buying something or filling out a form, make sure the address in the browser bar starts with “https://”; look for the secure icon, which is often a padlock
• Watch out for phishing scams, quizzes, spam, free offers, and click bait