Fraud avoidance isn’t something that’s one and done. It’s something you have to do on a regular basis, ensuring that you’re always avoiding fraud. Plus, fraudsters are always getting better and better at what they do, and you need to amp up your fraud avoidance techniques for the new year. Here are five things you can do to continue to avoid fraud in 2022 and beyond.
1. Check and Double-Check Who Emails Are From
Phishing, which is where someone pretends to be from a trusted source in order to get access to your personal information, is becoming more common than ever. The best way to avoid this is to check and double-check the sent email address. Currently, unless an individual actually hacks the email address, there’s no way to spoof what email address an email is coming from. However, scammers may replace “i” with “L,” use .net instead of .com, or any other sneaky tricks to make their spoofing email look as realistic as possible.
2. Turn on Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication allows you to use an extra step when you log into your account. Typically, the company you’re logging in with will send you a text or a notification with a code when you log in, which you have to input accurately to log in. Although this isn’t a perfect solution and still has some issues, it can be a great way to prevent casual hackers from getting access to your accounts.
3. Use a Password-Saving Extension
One of the worst things you can do for your online safety is to reuse passwords. However, trying to remember an individual password for every single online site you make an account with is equally annoying and difficult. That’s where a password-saving extension can really come into play. These extensions allow you to create completely random passwords, which are much safer for your accounts, and automatically save them, so you don’t have to remember all of them. This is a great way to avoid fraud year-round, and you should have one as we move into 2022.
4. Shop Safely With Trusted Sites
Anyone can set up a website online and say that they’re selling something you want. As people start shopping online even more frequently than before, there’s going to be a glut of scammers setting up fake websites so they can try to cheat you out of your money. Remember to do your research any time you decide to make a purchase on a new website you haven’t heard of before. Just a bit of searching around online can help you avoid making a bad purchase.
5. Check Who’s Calling You
Phone scams are becoming increasingly common, especially as it’s becoming easier and easier to robocall mass amounts of people in hopes of scamming just one. While adding yourself to the Do Not Call registry is a good way to avoid some of these calls, they won’t stop a scammer, as the scammer doesn’t care about abiding by the law. Instead of allowing these scams to keep coming in, you can use the PeopleFinders mobile app to avoid these calls.
With IdentityWatch, the free PeopleFinders mobile app, you can make sure you know who’s calling you at all times. Whether you’re trying to avoid potential scammers and spammers or you’re just interested in knowing who’s calling you without having to add everyone to your contact list, IdentityWatch can help. Plus, you can also get in-depth information about the people who call you.
Conclusion
Avoiding fraud will get more difficult as time passes. People become better at doing fraud due to better tools becoming available, which makes it harder for you to avoid it. However, these five tips can help you avoid a significant amount of fraud you might otherwise face in 2022. Make sure you maintain these five tips, including using IdentityWatch, so you can avoid issues with fraud all throughout 2022 and beyond.
Image Attribution: Яна Василевская – stock.adobe.com
