How to protect yourself from COVID-19 scams and improve cyber hygiene

Earlier this month, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security released an update to their list of ways that people in Canada can protect themselves from COVID-19 scams. In a statement made earlier today, Canada Labour Minister Filomena Tassi said that “Canadians are still being targeted by scams involving text messages and emails, which can lead to identity theft and financial loss; The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security has advice to help you improve your cyber hygiene.”

According to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, the five ways that people in Canada can protect themselves from COVID-19 scams are as follows:

1. Be on guard for scams

Don’t click on suspicious links. Also note that the government will never send you a text message about a payment or send you an e-transfer. (Visit the CRA website for ways to spot different scams.)

2. Secure your social media and email accounts

Review your privacy settings on social media and make sure your security questions to all your account logins are something only you would know the answer to.

3. Apply updates to your mobile devices, computers and applications

These updates are important and often contain “security patches.” Enable automatic updates if given the option to do so.

4. Store your data securely and know your back-up procedures

In addition to using an anti-virus or anti-malware program, it’s important to back up important information and files. You can use a cloud service to do that, but be sure to practise data recovery at least once so you know what to expect if you have to do it again.

5. Practise good password etiquette

Use passwords that are complex, and never share them. Don’t use the same passwords between different accounts, and use two-factor authentication when possible.

For the complete statement on cyber hygiene during COVID-19 from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, click here.

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