Phishing, Ransomware, and Other Identity Theft Scams How to Stop Fraud

Who Has Your Data

Hackers are getting bolder Here s how to fight back

Illustration John Ritter IMAGINE YOU'VE JUST HAD your smartphone stolen and are desperate to get it returned, along with the data it contains. You track it with the Find My iPhone app and send messages offering to buy it back. In response, you get a link to click. That’s a trap designed to steal your username and password. Click it and enter your credentials, and you’ll join the ranks of those .

Web Security

Your identity is more vulnerable than ever. Here are the best ways to keep the odds in your favor while on the web:

1. Always use a password manager, which is software that stores and organizes your passwords. Just set up a master password — a favorite lyric or quote, say — with at least 25 characters.

2. Be careful with free Wi-Fi. When using an open wireless network, connect to a VPN service. You can subscribe to one for $5 a month.

3. Secure your web searches with HTTPS Everywhere, which encrypts all your internet communications. Download it for free online.

4. Be careful wiring money. Verify the institution’s credentials and the recipient’s identity. According to the , data breaches hit an all-time high in 2016, up 40 percent over 2015. Over half of those hacks resulted in Social Security numbers and other critical data being stolen.
Watching out for these common scams will help keep your identity safe.

Ransomware br

Right now, this is one of the most profitable scams out there. A hacker can infect your computer by covertly installing malicious software that will encrypt your files. If you don’t have a very recent backup, you can lose all your data and be faced with having to pay a fee of several hundred dollars to recover it. Don’t click on any link or attachment you are not expecting.

Remote PC-Repair Plans br

Victims get a phone call from a scam artist claiming to be a representative of a fake computer firm. The caller warns that your computer has been infected with malware that will corrupt your files. The scam: tricking you into giving the impostor full access to your files. Eventually the crook infects your computer to get you to pay for unnecessary repairs. The scammer can also look around your computer and steal your identity.

Phishing br

This is an unsolicited email that may look like it has come from a legitimate source. That email is bait, designed to reel you in like a fish. It can look like an email from your bank asking you to update your password and other preferences, or it can resemble an email from a friend sharing “attached photos” that, when clicked, show nothing or an error message. At this point a and can steal any information stored there.

Spear Phishing br

This is a highly targeted phishing attempt. Spear phishing aims to defraud specific people rather than a larger group of potential targets. Prior to carrying out a spear phishing attack, the hacker digs up your personal information, such as your family history, where you live, your mother’s maiden name, your Social Security number and so on. In one such scam, the perpetrators pretend to be your mortgage company, notifying you by email that your mortgage has been sold to another company and instructing you to now send payments to “XYZ” company. A link in the email goes to a fake website, designed to look real. Only a very close look will reveal subtle differences that expose the fraud.

How to Stop Fraud br

Next

Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures

Close In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails related to AARP volunteering. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly receive communications related to AARP volunteering. In the meantime, please feel free to search for ways to make a difference in your community at Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.