Cyber Safety Awareness Tips from Cobb Police

From the latest Cobb Police Precinct 4 PENS (Police E-Mail Notification System) bulletin. Monday is Cyber Monday, but the following suggestions apply to online shopping and other electronic communications that you should be aware of at all times:

As the winter holidays approach, Pct 4 PENS would like to remind everyone to stay aware of seasonal scams and cyber campaigns, which may include:

• electronic greeting cards that may contain malware;
• requests for charitable contributions that may be phishing scams and may originate from illegitimate sources claiming to be charities;
• screensavers or other forms of media that may contain malware;
• credit card applications that may be phishing scams or identity theft attempts;
• online shopping advertisements that may be phishing scams or identity theft attempts from bogus retailers;
• shipping notifications that may be phishing scams or may contain malware.

We encourage you to use caution when encountering these types of email messages and take the following preventative measures to protect yourselves from phishing scams and malware campaigns:

• Do not follow unsolicited web links in email messages.
• Use caution when opening email attachments.
• Maintain up-to-date antivirus software.
• Review the Federal Trade Commission's Charity Checklist.
• Verify charity authenticity through a trusted contact number. Trusted contact information can be found on the Better Business Bureau's National Charity Report Index.
• At your workplaces be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, visits, or email messages from individuals asking about employees or other internal information. If an unknown individual claims to be from a legitimate organization, try to verify his or her identity directly with the company.

Holiday Traveling with Personal Internet-Enabled Devices Cyber Security Tip on protecting personal mobile devices while traveling over the holidays:

• Do not use public Wi-Fi networks
• Avoid using open Wi-Fi networks to conduct personal business, bank, or shop online. Open Wi-Fi networks at places such as airports, coffee shops, and other public locations present an opportunity for attackers to intercept sensitive information that you would provide to complete an online transaction.
• If you simply must check your bank balance or make an online purchase while you are traveling, turn off your device's Wi-Fi connection and use your mobile device's cellular data internet connection instead of making the transaction over an unsecure Wi-Fi network.
• Turn off Bluetooth when not in use.
• Bluetooth-enabled accessories can be helpful, such as earpieces for hands-free talking and external keyboards for ease of typing. When these devices are not in use, turn off the Bluetooth setting on your phone. Cyber criminals have the capability to pair with your phone's open Bluetooth connection when you are not using it and steal personal information.