Follow these tips to avoid falling for a scam—your mental health will thank you
Use strong passwords, two-factor authentication and avoid suspicious web links
Warning: Falling victim to an online scam could be harmful to your mental health. You are likely to suffer feelings of severe stress and anxiety, particularly if you are under 34 or over 50.
Read More »That’s the message from a new survey by Aura, which provides digital protection for consumers.
In its latest Online Scams and Mental Health Impact Survey, the company finds that:
• More than half of those people who fall for a scam suffer extreme to moderate feelings of stress or anxiety in the wake of the incident.
• Six in every 10 people who earn less than $50,000 a year report moderate to extremely high stress after a scam incident.
• One in every five of those who have become a victim of an online scam say they experienced financial strain or struggled to focus after the incident.
• Four in 10 parents who have fallen victim to an online scam are concerned that their children also will fall victim.
Everyone is plugged in
In today’s world everyone is plugged in, says Hari Ravichandran, founder and CEO of Aura. All our personal information, from medical records to banking information, is digitized.
As a result, our personal information never has been more at risk, he adds.
Cybercriminals know this, which motivates them to target people across all walks of life.
The new data from the survey shows the damaging effect that scams are having on everyone, from Gen Z to Boomers, Ravichandran adds.
A scam a week
The survey also finds that scammers consistently target adults who are aged from 50 to 64, directing scams to them at the rate of one a week. The stress suffered by those who are scammed, however, is higher in younger millennials (those aged 25 to 34).
The biggest threats come in the form of what are called e-mail spoofing and phishing scams that are aimed at tricking you into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords to social media accounts, e-mail accounts, and even bank accounts.
Helpful tips
Here are helpful tips to avoid falling for an online scam. They come from Ahmad Salman, who is a professor of information technology at James Madison University.
• Use passwords that are strong.
Strong passwords should have 12 or more characters, including a combination of lowercase characters, uppercase characters, numbers, and special characters.
Another suggestion is to use four random words that are easy for you to remember. They can represent, for example, a name, an object, a place, and an animal. An example could be: JacksonTruckSeattlePony. Such a password is long enough to be secure, but easy to remember. Adding a special character, such as #,$ or &, makes it even more secure.
• Avoid using the same password on different sites and devices.
• Whenever you can, set up two-factor authentication for logging into a site.
Doing so usually requires you to receive a code sent to your mobile telephone in addition to using a password on your computer or tablet. This defense protection is probably the most important for you to prevent incurring financial loss and other forms of damages, Salman says.
• Install the latest security patches and updates to operating systems when they are released by device manufacturers and developers.
• Avoid clicking on open attachments or web links that you receive in text messages or e-mails from untrusted sources.
A way to check is to examine the link itself to determine whether it is to a suspect source.
• Avoid sharing passwords with anyone.
Also, do not share sensitive information with anyone unless you are sure who they are and whether they really need to know the information.
• Take your time when assessing suspect messages.
Cyber criminals always try to instill a sense that it is urgent that you respond to their messages, explains Salman. They try to stop you from applying rational thinking.
It is particularly important therefore that you take your time before you react to suspicious messages, Salman says. You should be particularly careful of messages that include unusual money requests that appear to come from supervisors or colleagues.
