Criminal fraud and scams have been around longer than recorded history. One of the first recorded scams was devised by a Greek merchant named Hegestratos in 400 BC. The scheme involved insuring ship cargo, intentionally sinking the cargo ship, and pocketing the insurance as profit. The Hegestratos scheme involved deception, timing, and a sense of danger to force action. Today, criminals use technology to deceive their victims through generating false identities, timing their actions during busy cycles, and instilling a sense of urgency to get action.
In 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recorded $12.5 billion in cyber-crimes globally. False Tech Support, Extortion, Non-Payment, Personal Data Breach, and Phishing were the top five types of crime committed. These crime types are a form of fraud that rely on deception, urgency, and action. Below are some recommendations to reduce exposure to cybercrimes.
- Keep systems and software up to date and install a strong, reputable endpoint protection.
- Be careful when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network and do not conduct any sensitive transactions, including purchases, when on a public network.
- Create a strong and unique passphrase for each online account.
- Set up multi-factor authentication on all accounts that allow it.
- Examine the email address in all correspondence and scrutinize website URLs before responding to a message or visiting a site
- Don’t click on anything in unsolicited emails or text messages.
- Be cautious about the information you share in online profiles and social media accounts. Sharing things like pet names, schools, and family members can give scammers the hints they need to guess your passwords or the answers to your account security questions.
- Don’t send payments to unknown people or organizations that are seeking monetary support and urge immediate action.
Read more: https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2023_IC3Report.pdf
