Dr. Boster made this video because two of his MS patients got scammed out of a lot of money. He talks about how to recognize scams when people contact you.
Here are some tips to avoid being a victim of cyber crime or having your identity stolen. You've probably heard some of this before, but perhaps not why it's important. I would be very surprised if you don't learn at least one piece of advice you haven't heard before. Challenge accepted? Read on!
Things you can do include opting in to having your bank or brokerage send you forms and statements by email instead of through the mail. Don't let your mail sit in your mailbox for longer than it has to. Shred or destroy any sensitive mail like bank or credit card statements or credit offers before you throw them away. You can even sign up for Informed Delivery from USPS, which emails you a preview of that day's mail before it arrives, so you'll know when something sensitive like a bank statement or check is on its way.
usps.com/manage/informed-de...
When banks or other sensitive places offer to use two step authentication, always opt in so they can send a verification code to your device prior to allowing you to sign in. Don't choose "remember my username" or "remember this device" on sensitive sites. Make them ask you for a code each time. This is really important because even if hackers get your password, it can keep the from signing in to your account unless they have your actual phone, tablet, or computer.
You can use a password app like ProtonPass to create hard-to-hack passwords for all your accounts without repeating them on different websites. Reusing passwords is bad, because companies get breached by hackers all the time. If you've used the same passwords, the hackers will be able to get into multiple accounts rather than just the one. They also use sophisticated password-cracking software, so passwords you make up yourself are vulnerable. Password apps create random passwords that are up to twenty characters long to help protect your accounts. At the very least, you should use these difficult passwords for sensitive accounts. You can have the app automatically fill in your passwords or copy and paste them so you don't have to type in twenty characters of gibberish when signing in to a site. The apps work on your phone or tablet. Be sure to lock the app with a code or a biometric like your face or fingerprint, depending on what your device allows you to do. You can download a browser extension for your computer to go with your password app, which will to allow you to easily access your passwords while online with your computer. Using a password app also means you don't have to keep passwords written down and lying around the house, which isn't secure, and also makes it possible to lose them.
You may also want to consider freezing your credit if you didn't already after the Equifax breach leaked the personal information of millions of people. Freezing your credit keeps scammers from opening lines of credit in your name. You can also unfreeze it in minutes. You can even choose a length of time to leave it unfrozen, after which it will automatically be frozen again, if you like.
Taking these steps can be inconvenient, but they can protect you from signing into your bank and finding out all your accounts have been emptied. Or finding out that someone has financed a big ticket item in your name, then defaulted, leaving you to deal with thousands of dollars of fraudulent debt in your name.
For information about when scammers contact you by phone, letter, or in person, or to find out what to do if you've been scammed, check out this short video. Consider sharing it with someone you love.
