Protect Yourself Against Cybercriminals

Cyberattacks can come from many places, like through text messages on your phone, fake social media accounts, or fraudulent emails. These cybercriminals may be looking for ways to gain access to sensitive accounts, such as your credit card information. But you can better prepare yourself by understanding how to protect yourself from cyberattacks, and how tools like Discover^®Identity Theft Protection can help.

What is phishing?

Cybercriminals use phishing (among other techniques) to con individuals into revealing sensitive information or install malware on their computers. With ever-more sophisticated phishing techniques, it’s no wonder identity theft is on the rise. But, there are several easy steps you can take to protect your personal information.

Protect yourself from email scams

Ever open an email from a familiar company that looks suspicious? Maybe it’s full of typos or the email domain doesn’t match the supposed sender. Details like this are good reasons to think twice about clicking any links in the email.

As the California Department of Justice warns, even though an email may claim to be from a reputable organization, “scam artists ‘phish’ for victims by pretending to be banks, stores or government agencies.” Responding to emails like this, or downloading their attachments, could put you at risk for identity theft. When in doubt, delete.

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Identity theft scams on social media

You may have taken online quizzes about what animal you would want to be or what 80s band best represents your personality.  Many of these seemingly harmless quizzes on social media are used by hackers. By answering quiz questions like, “What’s the first concert you attended?” and “What was your first pet’s name?” you could be giving cybercriminals clues to your passwords and security question answers.

So, no matter how much you want to know if you’re a unicorn or a dragon, Journey or Aerosmith, don’t click and definitely don’t share.

Protect against pop-up cyberattacks

When browsing the internet, have you ever seen a pop-up window like this: “Warning! Your Computer is Infected! Click Here to Download Anti-Malware!”

In a moment of panic, you might be tempted to click and download the anti-malware thinking it’ll help. But often these programs are Trojan horses that could give cybercriminals access to your hard drive or banking information, according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Smishing (SMS phishing) is equally dangerous with scammers sending texts like “Call Now to Reactivate Your Credit Card,” or “Text Back to Receive Your Free Gaming System,” when the real intent is to gather bank, credit card, and debit card information. 

So be wary of unknown callers and texters. If you’re unsure, a quick internet search of the phone number may reveal some information about whoever is contacting you.

What can you do?

According to FTC, the most important step is to stay vigilant and think twice before sharing information on the internet or over the phone. But cybercriminals can catch even the most careful consumers off guard. In these cases, an identity theft protection product can help provide you with tools to help you protect yourself.