Well, the year 2022 has arrived, and after the years we all had to endure in 2020 and 2021 I hope this coming year turns out to be the best one ever for you.
As you know, hackers and scammers are busier than ever, always on the prowl for ways to steal your identity and separate you from your hard-earned money.
With that in mind, here are 12 New Years Resolutions that can help protect you and your valuable assets (both tangible and otherwise) while you’re online:
1 – I resolve to install Windows security updates and updates to my software programs and apps as soon after they are released as possible.
2 – I resolve to remember that I NEVER have to pay to update the drivers for the components and peripherals that are either inside or attached to my computer. I’ll remember that if someone tells me that a driver must be purchased, it’s a scam.
3 – I resolve to install a high-quality anti-malware program such as Malwarebytes on my computer, keep it updated at all times, and use it to scan my system at least once a week.
4 – I resolve to seek a second opinion once every month after my malware scan tells me my system isn’t infected.
5 – I resolve to install a high-quality antivirus app such as AVG for Android on all of my Android devices.
6 – I resolve to avoid falling victim to fraudulent emails by never clicking any of the links in an email or text message unless I know with 100% certainty that the link is safe and legit. I’ll go directly to the website in question and log in and/or access the page from there instead.
7 – I resolve to enable two-factor authentication on all of my online accounts that support it.
8 – I resolve to avoid the numerous Facebook scams that are constantly making the rounds on there.
9 – I resolve to change all of my important passwords to passwords that secure, yet easy to remember.
10 – I resolve to choose security questions for my online accounts that are impossible to guess.
11 – I resolve not to believe anyone who calls me on the phone claiming they’re from Microsoft or Apple and that my computer is infected with malware. These companies will NEVER call you with such a claim. It just won’t happen. And they won’t tell you to call them in a pop-up message either!
12 – I resolve to never send sensitive personal or financial information to ANYONE via email. Instead, I’ll send it to them by either typing it into a secure form on the recipient’s website or by calling them on the phone at a number that I know 100% to be legit.
There you have it. Those are my 12 New Years Resolutions for keeping my personal and financial information out of the hands of hackers and scammers during the new year.