With scams becoming more common, keeping your online accounts safe should be a top priority. Sunward provides the following tips.
- Use a password manager app. This is essentially an encrypted vault to store and manage your passwords, and could be your first line of defense against hackers. A password manager can auto-generate complex passwords, tell you if a current password is weak, and suggest a stronger replacement. Many popular password managers have free versions. Depending on the one you choose, it can securely log you into accounts, apps, and websites across any or all of your mobile devices. You can create complicated passwords without having to remember a long string of letters, numbers, and characters.
- Do not use the same password across multiple logins. Always use different passwords for each account. If one is compromised, a scammer will have login information for multiple accounts at their fingertips.
- Try to avoid easy-to-answer security questions, such as the year you graduated from high school. Scammers know the common security questions that people use and, in many cases, can easily guess the answers. For example, a common question asked is "In what city did you meet your spouse?" With minimal investigation by the scammer (perhaps by looking at your social media posts), the probability of guessing the right answer is easier. Instead, you might choose a non-corresponding answer – something that has nothing to do with the question being asked. If you have the option to create your own security questions, make them difficult for a scammer to answer.
- Always choose two-factor authentication. This extra step can put a barrier between you and scammers. With two-factor authentication, you will be asked to input a security code sent via text or email to confirm your identity. This is an extra level of security that can make a big difference in keeps scammers at bay.
For more information on how you can keep your account secure, visit slfcu.org/SecurityArticles.
