KEEP THE HACKERS OF YOUR EMAIL AND SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
Action Fraud is launching an awareness campaign on social media and email account hacking for Cyber Security Awareness Month this year, encouraging the public to protect their online accounts from fraudsters.
Data from Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting service, shows that more than 33,600 people reported that their online accounts had been hacked from August last year, with victims losing a total of £1.4 million.
What can you do to avoid being a victim?
• Use a strong and different password for your email and social media accounts. Your email and social media passwords should be strong and different from all your other passwords. Combining three random words that each mean something to you is a great way to create a password that is easy to remember but hard to crack.
• Turn on 2-Step Verification (2SV) for your email and social media accounts. 2-Step Verification (2SV) gives you twice the protection, so even if cyber criminals have your password, they can't access your email or social media account. 2SV works by asking for more information to prove your identity. For example, getting a code sent to your phone when you sign in using a new device or change settings such as your password. You won't be asked for this every time you check your email or social media.