European Cyber Security Month

This European Cyber Security Month, Affinity Credit Union wants to highlight some tips for online security and fraud awareness.

Criminals use Social Engineering methods like Vishing, Smishing and Phishing - the use of phone calls, texts and e-mails - to steal personal information from their targets, typically with the goal of accessing a victim's financial accounts.

Look out for Red Flags:

• A message to act urgently
• An unexpected link
• Contacted outside of normal business hours
• Misspellings or poor grammar
• A message from an unknown contact

Follow these Top Tips:

• Think before you act: Be wary of communications that implores you to act immediately, offers something that sounds too good to be true or asks for personal information.
• If you receive unsolicited contact and are unsure whether a request is legitimate contact the company directly - using information provided on an account statement, on the company’s official website. Search for the company online - but not with information they provided.
• When in doubt, throw it out: Links in email, tweets, posts and online advertising are often how cybercriminals try to compromise your information. If it looks suspicious, even if you think you know the source, it’s best to delete or - if appropriate - mark it as junk.
• Before sending or entering sensitive information online, check the security of the website.
• Pay attention to the website’s URL. Malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling or a different domain (e.g., .com versus .net).
• Lock down your logins by:

1. A passphrase can be stronger than a password: A strong passphrase is a sentence that is at least 12 characters long. Punctuate your sentence with special characters to make it even stronger.
2. Unique account, unique passphrase: Having separate passphrases for every account helps to thwart cybercriminals. Make sure that your critical accounts have the strongest passphrases.
3. Fortify your online accounts by enabling the strongest authentication tools available, such as biometrics, security keys or a unique one-time code through an app on your mobile device.

What to do if you are a Victim

• If you are worried your financial accounts may be compromised, contact your financial institution immediately.
• Report the attack to your local Garda station.
• Keep a written or online record of every incident and/or exchange between you and the fraudster as this can be used as evidence and may be useful if an investigation takes place.
• Reach out. It can be helpful to receive support from family, friends or support services.
• For more information on more supports that are available, or if you would like to discuss your experience as a victim of cybercrime, you can contact the Crime Victims Helpline for free at 116 006.

To keep ourselves secure, we must increase fraud awareness and share tips on how to stay safe online.