As we move into the holiday season, it is imperative that staff be on the lookout for cyber scams and phishing attacks. Attackers take advantage of the busy season to trick unsuspecting people into providing sensitive information, including social security numbers, banking information, and other personal or business confidential information.
! Call to Action: Review the below tips that will help you avoid being a victim of a cyber crime.
- Don’t reveal personal or financial information in an email.
- Check the security of a website before entering sensitive information. It should start with https.
- Pay close attention to the website’s URL. Attackers often create URLs that are similar to legitimate websites. For example, they may just use the number zero in place of the letter 0 in the URL.
- If you are unsure if an email is legitimate, contact the company using contact information obtained from a verified source and not the email.
- Keep your computer and other mobile devices up-to-date. Updates frequently contain security improvements.
Find more information regarding how to identify cyber scams and phishing attacks by reviewing the resource published by the National CyberSecurity Alliance.
If you suspect an email to be fraudulent, do not proceed with the directions provided in the email. Employees are encouraged to forward any suspected phishing emails to abuse@hcpss.org, and then delete the email. If assistance is still needed, contact the Technology Support at TechSupport@hcpss.org.