Making Money | Five ways to keep the scammers at bay
Research by RateCity.com.au shows vast numbers of Australians are losing money to crims through credit card hacks, identity theft or simply being tricked into handing over cash.
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In the past 12 months, scams have cost Australians $201 million. In the first three months of 2021 alone, crims fleeced their victims out of $63 million.
Scammers have an array of tactics to catch people off-guard. But that doesn't mean you have to be the next victim. Here are five ways to help keep scammers at bay.
- Use strong passwords - it's a no brainer that a unique password makes it harder for crims to hack your computer or bank accounts. Which is why I shake my head reading the latest study by NordPass, which shows the most commonly used password in 2020 was 123456.
- Keep strict privacy settings for social media - without tough privacy settings crims can access your personal details, use your photos to create fake identities, or target you with a scam.
- Avoid using public Wi-Fi - we all want to save on data costs but public Wi-Fi is just that - open to everyone.
- Play it smart shopping online - aim to stick with websites you know and trust. Do a Google search for reviews of the site. It can reveal some very dodgy operators.
- Check your bank and credit card statements regularly - if you see a suspicious transaction, query it.
Don't assume scams, fraud and identity theft won't happen to you.
A little extra vigilance goes a long way to keeping your money safe.
