Protect Your Money From Fraudsters by Avoiding These Costly Mistakes

An inappropriate ATM behind a gas station. One Unexpected Text from your bank. One Info. What are these things common? All the ways of scammers and all the ways they can steal your money and money.

US consumers lost $ 12.5 billion for fraud last year Federal Trade Commission report. Fraud can be in many forms, including cheats that the victim sent money under false excuses, Identity theft and Unauthorized bank or credit card transactions.

Regardless of age or other demographics, anyone can be the target of fraud. It was also with me in the past. Although certain behaviors can increase your risk, fraud can happen due to factors outside your control.

Scammers steal how much information and money

Thieves occur in a victim’s bank account or credit card information or unauthorized purchases or transfers. How do they get this information in the first place?

Here is a runnown of how the greatest threats and how to protect yourself in your financial accounts:

🗃️ Data breaches

When your data is stored with a third party service – the utility is a retailer or a retailer and this service is hacking, your information can fall into the hands of bad actors. Take the latest My ticket Violation that violates 560 million users, including names, emails and some card numbers.

“The database violations and other concessions of third parties are the most common cause of financial fraud and are far away,” he said Aaron Walton, Intel Analyst in Cyber ​​Cibersecurity firm Drive out.

How to protect yourself: If you can’t prevent third-party service violations, you can minimize the effect of a violation of a detail. For beginners, do not store data with third-party services outside what you need. Walton recommends using single use virtual Credit cards Although the card number is not leaked, for online shopping, you can’t make additional purchases with a criminal card.

🔐 bad password security

“If you reuse passwords, just ask your accounts to be accepted,” said Truman Kain, a high product researcher in Kibersecurity in Kibers Boastfulness. “This is the worst thing you can do if you want your accounts.”

After the violation of the information, they will try to use stolen credentials in large online accounts such as attackers, banks, retailers and email providers. This process is called credentials. Using weak, guessing or general passwords, it simplifies the hackers to enter your accounts, added.

How to protect yourself: Use strong, unique passwords along all your accounts and change regularly. Your passwords should be long (specialists offer 16 characters) and include a combination of small and capital letters, numbers and characters. If it sounds like a lot of things, consider getting Password manager. Kain also allows Multifactor authentication in your accounts if possible.

💳 Credit card skimmers

Skimmers are a device connected to the mouth of a card reader who steals your credit card information when you slide your card. Skimmers, then send this information directly to a card thief or save it for later purchase.

Skimmer Setups can also include a hidden camera or fake keyboard to draw your pin. Skimming can even be online. If an attacker could compromise a website, they can obtain “SKIM” from any new operation.

How to protect yourself: Before using an ATM or payment terminal, check for an empty card reader or any sign. Do not enter your card if you see something suspicious. Criminals tend to build skimmers in low traffic areas to minimize their chances, so they cling to payment terminals and ATMs in high traffic or well-controlled areas.

If possible, Use tap for payment – is less sensitive to screaming – instead of sliding your card. If you use a debit card, do not enter your pin and work as a credit card to steal this information (if you can). To fight online skimmming, use single use or limited use virtual cards while shopping online.

🪝 Fisheng and other social engineering attacks

In addition to the violations, phishing attacks, there are the main way of those who hinder the credentials of attackers, said Kain.

Phishing, under a scam target, in general, under a legitimate institution, To fool you On sensitive data, hand over through a link they want to hit you at all. Phishing attacks can occur on the phone, email or text.

How to protect yourself: A good rule, “If you have not required the message, you must be suspicious,” said Kain. If you need to check if a message is legitimate, contact the institution directly through the contact information found on the website.

Walton said that someone should be doubtful if you owe them money or a prominent payment. “Take it slowly and be careful,” he said. “Don’t let a wrong feeling make you bring you to an expensive mistake.”

Waters supplies stolen on Wi-Fi networks

To visit websites that are not traffic encrypted with “HTTPS” security Public Wi-Fi Allows cybercriminalals to see everything you do online. Cybercriminals can also steal your data by setting up fake public Wi-Fi hotspots.

After joining the free Wi-Fi, “Sites that imitate the attacker, login, passwords and sensitive information can redirect sites to fake websites,” Kain.

How to protect yourself: Avoid public Wi-Fi for sensitive operations. It is smart to protect yourself with a Virtual private network. Although the VPN provides the activities of your data, this is unreadable, although it is caught in your data.

“Using a prestigious VPN, it is like sealing your internet traffic in a safe envelope,” said Kain.

Other active roads to prevent fraud

Despite the real and serious risks of fraud, 26% of bank customers and 31% of credit card clients, valid for their accounts, the 2024 financial protection of JD has not taken the last steps to learn the satisfaction of financial protection of 2024 entered in November.

If you want to be more active about protecting yourself, here strategies recommend professionals:

Card management

Many banks and credit unions, credit and debit cards offers card control that allows you to lock and unlock online or mobile app. You can not use the locking cards that you do not regularly use unauthorized transactions to open them when you need to make only one purchase.

Freeze your credit

Freezing Your credit Lenders will continue to access your credit reports from accessing your credit reports and the opening of new credit accounts in your name. If you need to apply for a new credit or credit card, you can temporarily lift the freezers and reject your credit.

Use a virtual card

Recommends using both cain and Walton Virtual Cards To protect your credit card information from being stolen. Virtual cards are randomly generated card numbers connected to your real card. You can set the use of virtual cards as good for a purchase for a purchase, if you steal a cheater card information, it is useless.

Installation account signals

Criminals will take small purchases to a stolen credit card to test the card before using the card data before using the card data before use for larger shopping. If you can hold the small fake transactions as it happens, you can close the card before any adults happen. To do this, you can set alerts for all transactions or purchases in the amount of certain dollars.

How to report credit card or bank fraud

If you think you are a victim of fraud, let the financial institution immediately. Most banks have a telephone number designated for ambulance. You can then place a lock on your credit or debit cards to prevent the passage of new purchases. Your bank can automatically cancel the discount card and send you a new one.

In some cases, for example, like you Social Security Number or other sensitive data concessions, you may want to make a credit freezing or registration Personality Theft Protection. The last one will help you watch your personality online and sang the signs of fraud. You can also request your password for your other online account with a financial account and the same login information.

Finally, the fraud is always a good idea to let FTC ReportFraud.Ftc.gov To help the federal government cheaters.

“In many cases, there are some help, there are employers, law enforcement or other places,” Walton “.”