Skip to main content

Stay Ready: Avoid Holiday Scams

The holidays are here, and so are the scammers. Cybercriminals are lurking around every corner, waiting to steal your personal information and hard-earned money. The best way to protect yourself is by educating yourself. Keep reading to learn how to practice good cyber hygiene this holiday season. 

According to the Internet Crime Complaint’s 2021 Report, non-payment and non-delivery scams cost Americans more than $337 million. Credit card scams cost them another $173 million. A non-payment scam is when a seller ships goods or provides services but never receives payment. Non-delivery is when a buyer pays for goods or services online and never receives them. We hear horror stories every year, but how do we make sure we don’t become a statistic? 

The best course of action is to question everything. Always do your research and pay attention to what you’re interacting with digitally before you start clicking and giving out your card number, passwords, and sensitive information. Phishing is one of the biggest threats to your personal and financial information. “Almost 95% of breaches are due to some kind of phishing attack that happened prior,” says Roy Ross, our Chief Information Security Officer. Always check website URLs to make sure they’re legitimate sites. A telltale sign of a suspicious website is if the web address is missing HTTPS. Beware of phishing emails, texts, and phone calls. If you don’t recognize a number, do a Google search and see if it’s connected to a legitimate business. Examine the address that an email is sent from before you click on links and attachments. If it looks suspicious, it's most likely a scam. 

When making purchases, research the seller before you commit to buying. Read site reviews on their website and other sites. The seller could plant fake positive reviews on their website to cover up any evidence of a scam. Never wire money to any seller or pay with a prepaid gift card. Scammers will ask you for gift card information and drain the funds. Another pro tip is to never shop on public wifi. Never make any purchases or transactions on Wi-Fi that is not secure. Hackers wait to capture your information when you send it through these networks. 

Another good cyber habit is to stay on top of your credit card statements. Keep your receipts and compare them to your statements. If you notice suspicious activity, dispute it with your credit card company immediately. Keep your eye out for fake charities and fake freebies. Vet out organizations before you give them your money. Avoid social media ads or messages that say you won a free iPhone or other hot items. A good rule of thumb is that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. 

“It’s important for everybody to know how to protect themselves when they're online,” says Ross. No one is exempt from coming across scams, but you can always learn how to protect yourself from falling victim. When you educate yourself on what to look for and how to respond, you prevent hackers from stealing your holiday spirit (and private information)! 


You know how to protect yourself, but is your business safe this holiday season? #StayReady and #SecureEverything with CYBERCOMMANDER. Contact us for more information.

By Gia Tims

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

NCOFCU YouTube Video Minies

  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3lzRTXnHw4YHnT2TzILxP7Rfkjn0eT1  __ ______________________________________________ Check out NCOFCU's additional features: First Responder Credit Union Academy Podcasts YouTube Mini's Blog Job Board

Sunday Reading - 401(k) plans, explained

  Worker Nest Eggs       401(k) plans, explained Originally intended for corporate executives, the 401(k) is now, arguably,   the most famous section of the US tax code   and a staple in worker benefits packages and personal finance guides ( watch 101 ). Roughly 70 million Americans, with a total of more than $7T invested , use these long-term, tax-advantaged accounts to build toward a more secure retirement. Some critics claim that with 401(k) plans, companies offloaded the risk of retirement savings to workers without the training to avoid volatile portfolio mixes. Amid the 2008 financial crisis, many 401(k) plans lost over a quarter of their value , an event that hit those near retirement particularly hard. ... Read our full explainer on the plan...

Why credit unions need to be formulating a strategy for crypto & digital...

“The future of money isn’t coming – it’s here, growing at $4 trillion and accelerating,”  DaLand CIO, Jon Ungerland said in a statement. “Their solution ensures the institutions that matter most to American communities don’t miss the transition.” https://www.dalandcuso.com/videos-podcasts __ ______________________________________________ Check out NCOFCU's additional features: First Responder Credit Union Academy Podcasts YouTube Mini's Blog Job Board

Fed Gets Green Light for Interest Rate Cuts as Unemployment Rate Jumps to 4-Year High

The Federal Reserve is now seen as likely to   cut interest rates   multiple times before the end of the year, following another weak jobs report that showed unemployment jumping to a four-year high. The U.S. economy added just 22,000 jobs in August, less than economists had expected, the  Bureau of Labor Statistics  reported Friday. The unemployment rate rose to 4.3%, up slightly from 4.2% in July but hitting the highest level seen since October 2021, when the economy was still recovering from pandemic-driven layoffs. Although the new jobs report was troubling news for the economy, for prospective homebuyers with secure jobs it likely means further easing in  mortgage rates  in the days to come. Mortgage rates hinge primarily on the yields of  10-year Treasury notes , which plunged Friday to their lowest level since early April, when President  Donald Trump 's Liberation Day tariff announcement sparked panic in financial markets. It signals furth...

The Federal Reserve and How it Works

  The Federal Reserve       Background No institution wields more power in US finance than the Federal Reserve—but opinion polls indicate most Americans  don’t know  what it does. Known casually as “the Fed,” the century-old independent central bank sets interest rates, determining how much ordinary people pay for mortgages, car loans, and more, all to achieve its dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment ( read 101 ). Consisting of a central board of governors working in tandem with 12 regional banks, the Fed also manages the US money supply and acts as the lender of last resort. The Origins of the Fed Throughout the 19th century, the US faced  periodic economic downturns , which resulted in financial panics. Customers raced ...