The Top 4 Cybersecurity Slip-Ups Putting Your Money at Risk
Mistakes in cybersecurity rarely feel dangerous at the time. Up until it provides a scammer with the needed opening, a quick click, a reused password, or an urgent payment request may appear ordinary.
Because online scams are becoming more complex, you can protect yourself and your accounts by avoiding these typical cybersecurity mistakes.
What are the most important cybersecurity mistakes to avoid?
Cybersecurity mistakes are everyday actions that make it easier for scammers to steal money, passwords, or personal information. The most significant cybersecurity errors to steer clear of are:
- Believing smishing texts or phishing emails
- Sharing verification codes or reusing passwords
- Sending money before confirming the request
- Believing urgent calls or messages because they sound genuine
How to avoid phishing emails and smishing texts
What it is: Phishing emails and smishing text messages are made to appear as though they are from businesses you already recognize and trust, such a government agency, banking institution, delivery service, or retailer.
Why it works: Reacting too rapidly to a message that produces a sense of urgency, such as a warning about a suspected transaction, a locked account, or a missing package, is the mistake.
How to recognize and steer clear of it: Check the sender, spelling, web address, and the request itself before exchanging information or clicking a link. When in doubt, Education First Credit Union advises readers to visit a company's website or app directly rather than using the message's link.
Example: You get a text message claiming to be from your bank informing you that suspicious conduct has led to the locking of your account. A link to "verify" your login is included in the message, but it takes you to a phony website designed to steal your password and username.
How to prevent account takeover attacks
What it is: Account takeovers happen when scammers steal your password, verification code, or personal information to gain access to one of your accounts.
Why it works: Reusing passwords across sites can make this worse because one data breach can give criminals a way into several accounts at once.
How to avoid it: A stronger defense starts with unique passwords for important accounts and multifactor authentication whenever it is available. It is also important to treat one-time codes like passwords because legitimate companies will not ask you to share them over the phone, by text, or by email.
Example: A scammer gets a password from an unrelated retail data breach and tries it on your email, shopping, and financial accounts. If you reused that password, they may be able to get in and change contact information before you notice.
How to spot payment and invoice fraud
What it is: A scammer may pretend to be a vendor, landlord, family member, employer, or service provider and claim that a payment method has changed or that money is needed immediately.
Why it works: Payment and invoice fraud often works by pressuring someone to send money before they have time to verify the request. The biggest mistake is assuming a message is real because it appears to come from someone familiar.
How to spot and avoid it: Before sending money, confirm the request through a trusted phone number or known contact method, especially if the payment involves a wire transfer, payment app, gift card, or cryptocurrency.
Example: You get an email that looks like it came from a contractor or service provider saying their payment details have changed and asking you to send the next payment to a new account. The email address looks familiar at first glance, but it is slightly altered.
How to avoid AI voice and deepfake scams
What it is: A scammer may use a cloned voice or realistic-looking message to impersonate a loved one, executive, company representative, or public figure.
Why it works: AI-powered scams can make fake messages, voices, images, and videos seem more believable than ever.
How to spot and avoid it: The mistake to avoid is trusting a request only because it sounds or looks real. If something feels urgent, unusual, or emotional, slow down, verify through another channel, and use a previously known phone number or contact method before taking action.
Example: You receive a call that sounds like a family member saying they are in trouble and need money right away. The voice may sound convincing, but the urgency and unusual request are red flags that you should verify through another trusted contact method.
Key habits to adapt to avoid cybersecurity mistakes
The best way to avoid cybersecurity mistakes is to slow down before you click, share, or send. Scammers rely on urgency, confusion, and trust, so taking even a few extra seconds to verify a message can make a major difference.
Whether the threat is a phishing text, an account takeover attempt, a suspicious payment request, or an AI-generated impersonation, the safest response is often the same: pause, confirm, and use trusted contact methods.