email mail is a path to sensitive information
An e-mail address is used not only for e-mail communication. emails, but is often associated with other accounts and services. Therefore, in recent years, cases of mass data leakage have become more frequent. Fraudsters hack into e-mail stores or service platforms where you are registered get access to personal data of users such as name, address of residence, e-mail email address or phone number.
According to Romo Čereška, head of Citadele Bank’s Baltic funds management and trade financing service, once online fraudsters find out your e-mail email address, the personal information of you and your friends, family members, or other contacts may be at risk. How easy it is for fraudsters to have your email email address, can access other sensitive data, depends on several factors.
“Accessibility to your other personal information is largely determined by how long you have access to your email. email address, how often you share it, and how many different websites you use the same email address to sign in to. The longer and more widely e-mail is used. email address, the easier it is for fraudsters to extract other sensitive information – hackers can find out where you do your banking, what social media, email, etc. you have. trading accounts. And in the event of a data leak – to get access to the personal information stored in them”, says R. Čereška.
Also, if scammers know your email address, they can engage in perhaps the most common form of fraud on the Internet, sending fraudulent emails. letters. If you’re not careful, you can give hackers additional information that will help them do even more damage.
The phone number is already in the hands of fraudsters – should you be worried?
Many don’t worry about potential fraud when they provide their mobile phone number when shopping online or adding it to various online accounts. It may even seem natural and necessary to list your phone number on your Facebook, LinkedIn accounts, or ads on online marketplaces.
According to R. Čereshka, after receiving your phone number, fraudsters can attempt to steal personal information and crack passwords of various accounts, and try to install malicious or spyware programs on your phone and other mobile devices. True, a phone number alone is not enough to do this.
“If your phone number falls into the hands of fraudsters, it can become a tool for illegal activities. Calls and texts can flood in with all kinds of tricks and lies to make a profit at the expense of your personal funds. However, if you do not lose your critical thinking in such situations and do not take additional actions, your data will not be at additional risk,” the expert shares.
Scams are getting more sophisticated, but it’s easy to protect yourself
Fraudsters try to defraud money in a wide variety of ways – they can pretend to be government agencies, announce a lottery win, or inform about relatives who have allegedly been in an accident.
R. Čereška notices that fraudulent e-mails letters or messages lately can look very real and give the impression that they are sent from reliable international companies. in 2024 cases of fraud pretending to be representatives of corporations such as Facebook, Netflix, Microsoft or Apple are especially common.
“Be careful – always check the address from which letters are sent and look for other identifying signs of fraudulent letters – grammatical errors, irregular language, or requests to quickly open links and provide personal data. Remember that online scammers often send messages that are highly emotional and require a quick reaction,” he advises.
Also, according to the expert, if you notice that your primary contact information is already in the hands of fraudsters, it is worth taking measures that provide additional security. R. Čereška recommends setting up two-factor authentication, limiting the geography of your card payments, and setting card limits, which would help avoid losses if they fall into the sights of fraudsters, even if the fraudsters manage to convince you with their lies.
“Be sure to use strong, unique passwords as well. If you use the same password on several websites, it will take much less effort for hackers to access your accounts,” says R. Čereška.
2024-08-13 01:46:33