Posted by Sandy Warren on Feb 02, 2019
Cyber-Crime is on the Rise
Says District Attorney Rep
 
"Cyber-crime is everywhere, and no one is completely safe from it." Those were the sobering words from Kimo Hildreth, a member of the Ventura County District Attorney's office. Back by popular demand to Rotary Ventura South on Monday, January 28, Kimo explained a number of the widespread scams that people in Ventura County and across the country are falling victim to.
 
Most cyber-crime is, of course, designed to separate people from their money. And the old standard rule still applies: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Worldwide, global losses just from business email compromise alone totaled over $9 billion in 2018.
 
Among his many helpful recommendations, Kimo offered six tips to keep from falling victim to online crime:
  1. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (password and a code sent to your phone)
  2. Interrogate suspicious emails (hover over the email and examine where it is really coming from)
  3. Don't use public WiFi without a virtual private network (for checking email, banking, and sending documents)
  4. Be an educator (tell your friends about scams you have avoided)
  5. Use strong passwords and security questions (long passwords that aren't easily guessed)
  6. Patch everything (update your computer regularly - most compromises affect unpatched systems)
For further information on how to protect yourself from cyber-crimes, or to file a complaint, visit www.ic3.gov.