Statistics show every landline owner has been called at least 5 times a year by the scammers. Even though this scheme is one of the oldest ones, it’s still present, and working. What changed is that most of the people have learned how to figure them out. The structure of the pitch is always the same. Some things are being modernized, but the essence will never change.
Because the phone call method doesn’t work as it used to, most of the criminals have changed their tools. Once they’ve figured out emails as a centerpiece of human communication they’ve immediately switched to it. A new channel for phishing increased the number of successful scams. A number of potential victims are bigger and they all can be contacted at the same time.
The Real Threat
Avoiding phishing by phone is easy since it’s enough to hang up. Some “services” even have options of banning them from calling the same number. Also, one can always contact its landline provider, complain and restrict the scammers from calling.
When it comes to the internet it’s way harder! Emails can also be avoided with ease. Every mailing service uses algorithms which place junk emails to spam folders. But, to be hacked you don’t have to be directly asked. That age of “prince of Nigeria” is way behind us. It’s common sense not to reply emails offering free stuff, good investment deals or similar.
The most common mistake is putting all of the relevant information to social networks. Sometimes it’s enough just to have one’s basic info to build up a profile of the person and use it for wrong causes. There is one more hazard lurking all over social networks.
– Facebook or any e-commerce website use cookies –
Cookies were developed to help websites pick up user behavior online in order to optimize their content for them. Their goal is not to harm, but when hackers come to cookies possession some damage will be done. Cookies contain information or pieces of it that can smoothly lead to identity theft. Information picked from cookies can also be sold on black market. Hackers gain money, while other criminals use the names and numbers of civilians for their own business.
Ways to Protect Privacy Online
The best and the most efficient way is by obtaining verified privacy protection software. As developers, we are very proud to have a solution dealing with the core of the problem. The one that has proven itself over and over again, PC Privacy Shield.
The reason – it destroys all digital footprints one can leave online.
Digital footprint is a term used by the professionals and it refers to data browser users leave while surfing. Leaving it behind is inevitable, and sometimes the trail we leave behind may contain personal information.
The app itself is very easy to use. Both interface and options are minimalistic and even with the default settings, your computer can be protected from any kind of attack. Once the scan in the program is performed you’ll get a full report of your digital presence. Content like usernames and passwords, profiles, credit card numbers, social security number, etc. are all included. If you’ve ever lost any of these, PC Privacy Shield will find it.
Data collected can be destroyed or hidden afterward. The best solution is, of course, wiping everything clear. If on the other hand, you wish to play around with the options you can always place a dummy web page instead of one that actually contains valuable information.
There are some other ways that don’t cost any money but have their flaws. One of them is using incognito mode in the browser. This one is probably the weakest since the data from it can be traced in seconds. Not putting too many things online, in general, is great, but almost impossible. We’re just forced to use the internet all the time.
The best free way of protection is regular cleanup. This means you’ll have to delete all of your cookies and saved logs every day before you close your browser. Still, some part of your digital footprint will remain for sure. Also, there is a high chance you’ll forget to perform the cleanup itself. That’s why using licensed software is so good. You stay protected 24/7, plus you can automatize the app to perform a regular cleanup for you.
In general, as scary as it might seem protecting yourself doesn’t have to be tiring. All one needs to do is remain aware of the dangers. Phone phishing is outdated so we need to be focused on hackers. Keeping private information private should be one’s number one concern. The devil hides in details and he is all over the pages you visit daily. Just be sure you are using at least one of the ways to stay safe while surfing. Consider all the options and choose the one that suits your needs the best.