Top 3 Types of Cybercrime & Tips for Protection

Here’s a look at the major types of cybercrime happening today and how you can protect yourself against them.

Cybercrime continues to be one of the biggest and scariest issues plaguing each and every one of us – even going into 2019. The fact that new security breaches continue to be announced, and that criminals have become more clever than ever can make feeling safe online difficult.

Luckily, there are safeguards you can put in place to help protect yourself from falling victim to these crimes.

Here’s a look at 3 types of cybercrime and what you can do to protect against them.

Identity Theft

One of the main reasons thieves are trying to hack computer networks is to capture financial data from victims. Using personal identifying information, they can open credit cards, get loans and pretend to be you and take control of your bank account.

Tips for Protection: Be mindful of what data you’re sharing online. Even if the email recipient is a trusted contact, there’s no telling if there’s a breach happening in the background. For this reason, you should never share your social, credit information or other private data via an email or online chat.

Ransomware

This is similar to the popular spread of malware that sends a virus to computers via an attachment or bad link, except it uses the fact that it’s compromised you, against you. Think businesses with trade secrets or others with sensitive data they rather the public does not know about. The thieves will hold that information as ransom until they are paid. In some cases, they’ll even lock victims out of their files and accounts until they are giving money to turn the access back over.

Tips for Protection: Staying abreast of all the latest hacking attempts is one way to be aware of possible attempts to harm your security. You should also be sure there are rules in place in the workplace about using social media, downloading files and other policies to best protect the company data.

Scams

These are seeing an uptick now that the holidays have rolled in. Scammers pose as credible companies or a website offering some incredible, too-good-to-be-true deal and you pay up only to realize your money has been taken as part of a scam.

Tips for Protection: Common sense goes a long way in helping to curb some scams. If something sounds way too good to be true, chances are it probably is. If you’re unsure, always research the company, read reviews and look for seals of trust on their website to evaluate if they are credible or just a scam.

Of course, there are a number of other types of crime, and some still yet to be discovered so keeping your guard up at all times is essential. It can be the difference between a successful shopping trip online and one that costs you far more than you saved in gas!

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