How to Protect Your Computer From Scammers During Valentine’s Day
February is a time for falling in love, but there is definitely one thing you shouldn’t fall for – scams. Scammers are lurking around every corner and they are very skilled at what they do. Follow these tips to ensure you will only fall for you significant other this Valentine’s Day.
Photo credit: valart2008 / Foter / CC BY
Protect Your Computer The first step to preventing scammers from taking advantage of your information is to protect your computer. Figure out which firewall you need for your computing needs and install it. Make sure you have the latest antivirus software installed on your computer. Lastly, consider installing antispyware technology so scammers can’t spy on your activities. Check Your Operating System Over time, scammers and hackers become more progressive and take advantage of the holes in your outdated operating system’s security. Check your operating system to ensure it is the latest version so those security holes are patched. Update Privacy Settings Go through every internet account you have and look through your privacy settings. Make changes so your personal information is not easy to access for scammers. If your personal information is easy to find, scammers can use it to make their trickery more convincing. Secure Your Passwords Weak passwords are one of the easiest ways for scammers to find ways into your computer. Once they know your password, they can get smarter about deceiving you by providing personal information they gained from your accounts. Some tips for password protection:
- Use a mixture of numbers and letters. To be a superstar, add symbols.
- Don’t repeat passwords. If a scammer gets one, they will try it on all of your accounts.
- Change your passwords regularly.
If you feel like you are a victim of internet crime, you can report the incident to the IC3.
