12/02/2021: Don’t Become a Victim!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 2, 2021

Cybercrime is Big Business: Don’t Become a Victim

Did you know that a cybercrime happens once every 36 seconds?  Additionally, $108 million dollars was lost to scams in a recent 6-month period.

Hatboro Federal Savings would like to share with you the following information in an effort to provide you knowledge about cyberthreats, as well as key takeways that can help you avoid falling victim to these attacks.

Some current tactics used by criminals today:

Information Gathering – Social media is a gold mine of information hackers can use to trick you. Each piece of additional information gathered increases their odds for a successful attack.

TAKEWAYS: Be careful what you share. Ask yourself if the information you’re about to post will be useful in conning you at a later date.

Fake Profiles – Hackers use the information readily available through social media and online search engines to create an online persona that gets your attention. Their goal is to gain your trust and get you to take an action, like opening an attachment, clicking on a link, sending money, or giving them information to make their next attack more successful.

TAKEAWAYS: Never assume the security settings on social media sites will keep you safe from a fake profile attack. Be wary anytime you are asked to take an action on any site.

Disinformation – This is where hackers create and distribute false information to manipulate your thoughts and actions and cause damage to you.

TAKEAWAYS: Anything that tugs at your emotions is a warning sign. Always fight the spread of disinformation by verifying information’s truthfulness. Stop and fact-check before acting upon or sharing information.

Some current attacks used by criminals today:

Phishing – This is the method most often used by hackers. They use emails disguised as contacts  or organizations you trust so that you react without thinking first. Their goal is to trick you into giving out sensitive information (i.e., your username and password), or taking a potentially dangerous action (i.e. clicking on a link or downloading/opening an infected attachment).

TAKEAWAYS: Phishing attacks are the most common type of attack because of how effective they are. Hackers are really creative when they target you, and it can be very difficult to tell if a message is real or fake. Stop, look, and think before you click that link, open that attachment, or share sensitive information.

Pretexting – Hackers sometimes use a made-up scenario to gain your trust so they can get the information they want. For example, they’ll call and pretend to be someone that knows one of your family members is in some kind of financial trouble. Then they will say they can help them if you provide account information or send money.

TAKEAWAYS: Since this attack is convincing and prevalent, be vigilant. Never give information over the phone, in person, or online unless you’ve confirmed the identity of the person asking. You can do this by calling the person back using a verified phone number, on the organization’s phone directory or main website.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact us at customerservice@hatborofed.com.