How To Protect Yourself From Scammers

How To Protect Yourself From Scammers

Scammers are versatile in their tactics, posing as various entities, including banks, real estate agencies, utility companies, and even family members or government agencies. They often employ pressure tactics to create a false sense of urgency, leading to rushed decisions and financial losses. To safeguard your interests, it's essential to be vigilant and take proactive steps to prevent falling victim to scams. This article offers insights and tips on how to protect yourself from scammers.

Question Too-Good-To-Be-True Offers

Scammers often dangle tempting promises of high returns, low risk, and "golden" opportunities. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Take your time to ask questions, verify claims, and conduct due diligence before making any financial commitments. This cautious approach can help you avoid falling prey to fraudulent schemes.

Be Wary of "Grandparent Scams"

One common scam involves imposters claiming to be family members, especially grandparents, seeking financial help. If someone purports to be a family member, independently verify their identity by calling them directly. In cases where you suspect a family member needs assistance, reach out to them through a trusted phone number or in-person contact. Avoid responding to such pleas via email, social media, or text, and always consult with the person's parents before sending money to a potential scammer.

Guard Your Passwords and PINs

Your passwords and PINs are the keys to your online security. Never share them, even with close friends, family, or relatives. Keeping this information confidential is vital for safeguarding your financial and personal data.

Protect Against Phishing Emails

Phishing emails are a favored tool among scammers. Pay close attention to any email that appears as a bill or a security alert. Be cautious if you notice misspelled words, your name is absent, the links seem suspicious, or if you're asked to "verify" your account or personal information. In such cases, delete the email and promptly report it to the relevant authorities.

Implement Security Best Practices

• Be Cautious with Money Transfers: 
• Avoid sending money to individuals you don't know in real life, particularly through third-party services like Zelle, Venmo, and Cash App. 
• Refrain from using gift cards to settle bills; legitimate businesses do not request payment via gift cards.
• Ignore Unsolicited Messages: 
• Delete random texts and emails that ask you to click a link or provide personal information.
• Never click on links from untrusted sources.
• Regularly Monitor Your Accounts: 
• Stay vigilant by regularly monitoring your financial accounts. 
• Respond promptly to fraud alerts and report any unauthorized transactions.

Enable Multifactor Authentication

For added security, enable multifactor authentication (MFA) for your accounts whenever possible. MFA provides an extra layer of protection that can thwart account hacks or hijacks even if a malicious actor obtains your login information.

Understanding Fake Websites and How Scammers Exploit Them

Fake websites are tools scammers use to deceive individuals into divulging sensitive information, downloading malware, or making purchases from non-existent products. Scammers often employ these websites as part of phishing attacks.

Recognizing fake websites is becoming increasingly challenging. To ensure you're not dealing with a fraudulent website, remain vigilant and apply the aforementioned protection measures. By staying informed and exercising caution, you can significantly reduce your vulnerability to scams and safeguard your online security.

In conclusion, being proactive, skeptical, and informed is the best defense against scammers. Protect your personal and financial information by following these guidelines, and remember that it's always better to be cautious than to fall victim to fraudulent schemes.

We Also Recommend Reading:

11 Ways To Spot Fake Website

Jon Pienkowski

Pacific NW Computers

www.linktr.ee/pnwcomputers

Protect Your Comcast.net Email from Hijackers

How to Protect Your Comcast.net Email Account from Hijackers

If you use Comcast.net email, you may have heard of some cases where customers’ email accounts were hijacked by hackers. This can be a very frustrating and scary situation, as hackers can use your email account to scam your contacts, steal your personal information, or cause other damages.

In this blog article, I will explain how hackers can hijack your Comcast.net email account, what they can do with it, and how you can protect yourself from this threat.

How Hackers Can Hijack Your Comcast.net Email Account

There are different ways that hackers can gain access to your Comcast.net email account, but one of the most common methods is phishing. Phishing is when hackers send you fake emails or direct you to fake websites that look like they are from Comcast or other legitimate sources. They may ask you to enter your email address and password or click on a link or attachment that contains malware. If you fall for their tricks, they can capture your login credentials and use them to access your email account.

Another possible method that hackers can use to hijack your Comcast.net email account is through a data breach. A data breach is when hackers break into a database that contains sensitive information, such as email addresses and passwords. If the database belongs to Comcast or a third-party service that you use with your Comcast.net email account, hackers may be able to obtain your login credentials and use them to access your email account.

What Hackers Can Do With Your Comcast.net Email Account

Once hackers have access to your Comcast.net email account, they can do a lot of malicious things with it. Some of the common things that hackers can do are:

• Set up email redirection or auto-forwarding rules. This means that hackers can forward emails coming into your account to their own email account and continue their attack on those who are emailing you directly.
• Create a spoof email account that looks very similar to your actual email address but with a different domain name. For example, if your email address is johnsomeguy@comcast.net, hackers may create a spoof email address like johnsomeguy@outlook.com. They can then use the spoof email address to impersonate you and scam your contacts in various ways.
• Attempt to hijack and take over other various online accounts, as the hackers can now receive/redirect security and login authentication emails.
• Delete all contacts in your address book, storage folders in your email account, or incoming email messages. This can cause you to lose important data and communication.
• Send spam or malicious emails from your email account to other people. This can damage your reputation and expose others to potential harm.

How You Can Protect Yourself From This Threat

If you suspect that your Comcast.net email account has been hijacked by hackers, you should take immediate action to secure it and prevent further damage. Here are some steps that you can take:

• Change your password as soon as possible. Make sure that you use a strong password that does not use any common words or phrases. You can use a password manager or generator tool to help you create and remember a strong password.
• Check your email settings and rules. Look for any suspicious redirection or auto-forwarding rules that hackers may have set up and delete them. Also, check if hackers have changed any other settings, such as your signature, reply-to address, or recovery options.
• Scan your computer and devices for malware. Use reputable antivirus or anti-malware software to scan your computer and devices for any malware that hackers may have installed on them. Malware can compromise your security and allow hackers to access your email account or other accounts.
• Contact your contacts and inform them of the situation. Let them know that your email account has been hijacked and warn them not to open any emails or click on any links or attachments that they may have received from you recently. Also, ask them to report any suspicious emails that they may receive from the spoof email address that hackers may have created.
• Consider switching to a more secure email provider. Comcast.net email does not always offer some of the advanced security features that other email providers do, such as two-factor authentication (2FA). 2FA is when you need to enter a code or use another device to verify your identity when you log in to your email account. This adds an extra layer of protection against hackers who may have stolen your password. You may want to switch to an email provider that offers 2FA or other security features.

I hope this blog article has helped you understand how hackers can hijack your Comcast.net email account, what they can do with it, and how you can protect yourself from this threat. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.

Jon Pienkowski
Pacific NW Computers
www.linktr.ee/pnwcomputers

Had a Data Breach or Experienced a Computer/Network Hack or Attack?! Here's What To Do!

What To Do If You Have a Data Breach or Experience a Computer/Network Hack or Attack!

Despite your efforts to control access, track assets and create secure procedures for your network, online accounts, and computer systems. Data breaches, Server Attacks, Network Attacks, Account Hi-Jacks, you name it! It can happen, and it does happen. Knowing what to do if you suspect or actually have a problem can make the difference between a minor inconvenience, and a disaster that interrupts your ability to do business! The following steps can help you recover after a breach or hacking incident. The faster you can recover, the sooner you can get back to business!

1. Stop the Breach/Stop the Attack:
   Isolate any devices or systems that have been identified as being a part of the breach and/or attack. If the hacker has used an email or account to access your systems, close them down to prevent further damage. If a specific computer is infecting other systems on the network, disconnect its network connections and get it offline. Ultimately, the faster you can restrict access to the systems, computers, and or accounts that have been affected, the less damage a hacker can do.
   
   
2. Examine the Damage:
   You’ll need to determine the extent of the damage and which systems,  accounts, or users are suspected of being compromised, and which systems are confirmed secure. When you know what has actually been accessed, and what/who has been attacked, you will be better equipped to deal with the overall situation.
   
   
3. Restore your Systems:
   Once the threat has been addressed, you can restore your systems, network, etc so you can continue your normal day-to-day work. If you have a DRaaS or BaaS system in place, your provider will be able to help you recover any lost, stolen, or deleted data quickly. If you don't have any backup systems in place for your critical data, try to work with your in-house IT team to attempt data recovery, and get things back up and running as fast as possible. If you realize you are in over your head, engage with an IT solutions company like Pacific Northwest Computers to help remedy security issues and implement data protection plans for the future.
   
   
4. Perform an Audit:
   Determine how your systems, online accounts, email accounts, etc were accessed. Go over your response to stopping the breach, and the effect the attack/response had on your business. Once you know the answers to those questions, you can make better decisions on how to move forward and be better prepared for the future.
   
   
5. Learn From Your Mistakes:
   After the initial shock has passed and your system is back on track, work with your IT team and or an outside IT company such as Pacific Northwest Computers, and establish a plan to prevent further issues, as well as set up any further needed "safety nets" to limit downtime, enable a quicker response, and prevent any data loss as well as have a system to get data back as quickly as possible. This will lower your risk of further attack as well as better prepare yourself if another attack was to occur. That alone is worth the peace of mind!
   
   For example, If your attacker got in via your email or by exploiting a poorly chosen password, retrain employees to better protect your network. If the attacker used a lost or stolen device, you may need to address inventory tracking. If data was stolen, held for ransom, etc. you have a backup plan for all of your important and critical data! Plus much more.

As always, if you need help with anything, just give us a call, send us a text, or send us an email!!

Pacific NW Computers
360.624.7379
503.583.2380
www.pnwcomputers.com
www.linktr.ee/pnwcomputers.com