October is Cyber Security Awareness Month and the Better Business Bureau has partnered with the National Cyber Security. The BBB will be issuing a series of tips to protect your identity online. The theme for this advice is Stop.Think.Connect.
Cybercriminals have become savvy in their attempts to lure people to click on links or open phony email attachments.
BBB recommends the following:
- Be on your toes. Only open emails, attachments, and links from people you know. Watch out for unsolicited emails that contain misspellings or grammatical errors.
- Don't believe what you see. It's easy to steal the colors, logos and header of an established organization.
- Avoid sharing. Don't reveal personal or financial information in an email. Do not respond to email solicitations for this information.
- Pay attention to a website's URL. Hover over any links to see where they lead. Malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site.
- If you are unsure whether an email request is legitimate, try to verify it by contacting the company directly.
- Keep a clean machine. Having the latest operating system, software, web browsers, anti-virus protection and apps are the best defenses against viruses, malware, and other online threats.
For more information, go to www.bbb.org.
