Being connected at home, at work, and when we’re at play often leaves us exposed to online fraud nearly all of our waking hours. That’s why it’s so important for consumers to be proactive in understanding how to recognize potential problems and how to guard their personal information.

By Mechele Agbayani Mills

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) which was created by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and National Cyber Security Alliance to ensure consumers have access to the resources they need to stay safe and secure online. Better Business Bureau (BBB) reminds consumers to continue to be vigilant in protecting personally identifiable information (pii), as it is a valuable commodity for scammers.

Consider these sobering facts provided by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA):

• One-third of homes in the U.S. are infected with malicious software.
• Forty-seven percent of American adults have had their personal information exposed by cybercriminals.
• 600,000 Facebook accounts are hacked every day.
• Forty-four percent of Millennials have been victims of online crime in the last year.

BBB offers the following tips to stay safe online:

1. Connect with caution. Be cautious when using public Wi-Fi – these networks are not secure. When entering financial or credit card information, be sure that the website is security enabled (https).
2. Click with caution. Beware of links in unsolicited emails, text messages and those found in ads on social media sites. Never download or install files from unverified sources. Research companies with BBB.org and other online sources before you buy.
3. Crypto with caution. Before making investment decisions of any kind, it is critical to understand some of the concepts of virtual currencies. Go to BBB.org/crypto  to get the facts.
4. Protect your Passwords. Change passwords often, and keep them long and strong. Pass phrases are more complex and may be more secure. Enable multi-factor authentication when available.
5. Own your online presence. When applicable, set the privacy and security settings on websites to your comfort level for information sharing. It is ok to limit how you share information.
6. Report it. If you become victimized, please report it to BBB Scam Tracker and ic3.gov.

BBB will be promoting National Cybersecurity Awareness during the month of October and invites the East Texas community to participate one of our upcoming events. Join us Wednesday, October 11 for the BBB Lunch. Learn. Lead. series as Sidney Collum, owner of Sidnetworks presents Defending your Brand Against Ransomware Attacks. And BBB will be hosting fall Secure Your ID Day events in Jacksonville, Lindale, Longview. Go to bbb.org for times and locations.

For more tips on how to be a savvy consumer or to share your experience with a business, go to bbb.org. To report fraudulent activity or unscrupulous business practices, call BBB at (903) 581-5704 or report it via BBB Scam Tracker.

Mechele Agbayani Mills is the President and CEO of BBB Serving Central East Texas.