SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE- Holiday Shopping Safety Tips

Christmas is coming and you will be out to find the perfect gifts for your loved ones. Here are some simple tips to follow while you do your holiday shopping.

In the Car

·         Don’t leave high-value items or shopping bags in plain sight. Even a few seconds is enough for a smash-and-grab.

·         Store bags in the trunk before you arrive at your next destination, not after you park.

·         Keep vehicles locked and windows fully closed, even if you’re stepping away for a moment.

·         Park in well-lit, high-traffic areas whenever possible.

·         Be aware of your surroundings. If something feels off, move to another spot or notify security.

Prevent Package & Porch Theft

·         With holiday shipping in full swing, porch pirates are more active too. A few preventative measures can help:

·         Track packages and set delivery alerts so you know when they arrive.

·         Bring deliveries inside as soon as possible.

·         Use secure delivery options like:

o   Lockers / pickup locations

o   Deliver to work (if allowed)

·         Ask a trusted neighbor to grab it

·         Install a doorbell or security camera, even visible cameras can deter thieves.

·         Avoid leaving boxes visible outdoors. Break them down and conceal high-value packaging.

 

 

 

Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:

https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/7325

 

https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/7325

 

 

SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE- Holiday Crime Prevention Tips

This holiday issue of the Sheriff’s Office’s crime prevention newsletter, “Partners in Crime Prevention, covers ways you can protect yourself from a charity scam and gives other tips to prevent crime during the holiday season.

 

 

Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:

https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/7325

 

CYBERSECURITY- You Need More Than a Strong Password to Protect Your Accounts

Some people may think that all they need is a “strong password” to protect their online accounts. However, while a strong password is important, it is not the only technique that you should use in your toolkit. There are several ways cybercriminals can use to gain access to your online accounts besides cracking your password. There are no single magic techniques to protecting your personal information.

Modern security thinking works in layers. It uses several tools and techniques to protect your house, your business, or you as a person. For example, if you want to protect your home and its contents from a burglar you will lock your front door. But locking just your front door does not guarantee that a burglar cannot break into your house. A burglar could go to the side or back of your house to find a way in. You also need to lock any side doors or back doors. Plus, you need to close and lock any windows. Even by locking all of your doors and windows there is a chance that a burglar can find a way in, so you might put valuables like jewelry and sensitive papers in a safe or locked file cabinet. You also might put away small electronics like your laptop and cell phone. Finally, you might sign up for a security system with cameras to alert police of an intrusion. That way police can possibly catch the burglar in the act or more likely, you can hand over video of the burglar on your property that police can use in their investigation. All of these steps are examples of layered security.

To protect your personal information and your online accounts you also need to think in layers. There are several ways cybercriminals can acquire your passwords and therefore gain access to your online accounts. Relying only on strong passwords is not a magic bullet.

Don’t get me wrong. Long, strong passwords are important to protecting your online accounts. An eight-character password made up of numbers, upper- and lower-case letters and symbols takes about 5 minutes to crack with current computer technology. A 16-character password made up of numbers, upper- and lower-case letters and symbols, the current recommended standard, takes about 5 billion years to crack. Pretty impressive protection. But there are other ways for a cybercriminal to acquire your password. Two ways include buying a list of id’s and passwords that have been acquired in a data breach. A cybercriminal could also send you a phishing email. or text message with a link that either sends you to a fake website that looks like the login page of your account or inserts malware to collect your password.

So, if cybercriminals can steal your password what can you do? You can add a layer by using multifactor authentication (MFA) in addition to a password for all of your accounts. With MFA you verify who you are through email, text, or an authenticator app on your smartphone. You may use a temporary code (something you have) or your fingerprint/face (something you are). If a cybercriminal tries to log into your account, they will not receive the MFA message since it is sent to your email or to your smartphone via text message or the authenticator app. When you receive the message, if you are not logging into your account, then all you have to do is to deny access.

Another technique is to use a unique password for each of your accounts. Using the same password, even if it is strong, across several accounts has turned into a dangerous practice. If a bad guy acquires your password for one account, they will try other accounts that belong to you on the chance that you use the same password to access those accounts.

You should also use antivirus software to protect yourself from malware that could steal your personal information, including your passwords. Be sure that you set it to update regularly and be sure your operation system and your software update regularly.

Finally, use a password manager to store your passwords. We all accumulate many accounts, sometimes in the hundreds. It’s impossible to remember all of those complex passwords. Password managers are encrypted so your passwords are protected from unauthorized eyes. That is even more protection than keeping your passwords in a notebook in a drawer of your desk.
They can also generate new, strong passwords for you when you are opening new accounts or changing passwords due to a data breach, or you suspect someone has stolen your password.

When you are protecting your online accounts, think in layers, long, strong passwords, multifactor authentication, unique passwords for each of your accounts, and keep your software and your antivirus software up to date.

 

 

 

 

Ask Leo:

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https://askleo.com/another-reason-not-to-reuse-passwords/

 

Compass IT Compliance:

https://www.compassitc.com/blog/what-will-quantum-computing-mean-for-passwords-and-encryption

 

Norton:

https://us.norton.com/blog/emerging-threats/password-attack

 

CYBERSECURITY- It Does Matter if Your Account Gets Hacked

More and more people are recognizing that staying secure is important while they are online. However, according to the National Cybersecurity Association there are people who feel that it doesn’t matter if their device or account gets hacked. They may think that their information is not important or that their online data is not critical. However, scammers and cybercriminals can use the most innocent of information to steal from you or others.

Your Facebook account might appear to be innocent, but it can be used against you. While you might only keep up with your family and friends on Facebook, if you overshare the details of your life (such as mentioning when you are taking vacation) someone lurking in the background can use that information to break into your home while you are gone. Your social media passwords are very important because if someone gains access to your account through your password, they can impersonate you a try to scam your friends. Scammers have also been known to take over social media accounts, changing the passwords so that the owners no longer have control of the accounts, using them for their scams or other criminal purposes. So, long secure passwords, 16 or more characters, using a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters, secured in a password manager is an important step to take.

Other online accounts that are important to protect include financial accounts such as your bank accounts, your credit card accounts, and retirement accounts. Protecting your account credentials such as your password and account numbers can save you a ton of grief. If a scammer only has your account number they can use it on applications, forms, and fake documents to make a fraudulent claim look more legitimate. But if the scammer has your account number and the routing number (found on checks issued by the bank) or the name of the bank or online password they can do much more,

·         Set up payments for goods or services appearing to come from your account.

·         Attempt transfers out of your account through ACH debits or other bank transfer methods.

·         Create counterfeit checks that appear to draw from your account.

·         Use the account for laundering activity, depositing funds and moving them out again to obscure the trail.

·         Make online purchases where limited verification is required.

·         Apply for additional accounts or services using your account as proof of legitimacy, for example, opening a secondary account to stash stolen funds before moving them into cryptocurrency or offshore.

·         Pretend to be from your bank and contact you to collect more personal information. That follow-up scam can be used to harvest even more personally identifiable information (PII) or access details for other bank accounts.

Protecting the usernames, passwords, and account numbers of all of your online accounts is important to protecting your security and privacy no matter how trivial the account may seem. Also, protect any documents that have bank account, credit card account numbers or numbers such as your Social Security number, Medicare number by keeping them in a secure location and destroying bank/credit card statements, or other documents with those account numbers when you are finished with them.

 

Remember,

·         Use long, complex passwords stored in a secure password manager.

·         Use unique passwords for each of your accounts. DO NOT use the same password for multiple accounts!

·         Use multifactor authentication (MFA) for all of your online accounts.

 

 

 

 

 

National Cybercrime Alliance:

https://www.staysafeonline.org/articles/6-cybersecurity-myths-debunked

 

Identity Theft Resource Center:

https://www.idtheftcenter.org/post/what-can-a-scammer-do-with-your-banking-information/

 

Social Security Administration:

https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10064.pdf

 

 

CHARITY SCAMS- Giving Without Getting Scammed

With the disruption of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) due to the federal government shutdown, more and more people are considering donating to local food banks to help them handle the increase in business. The key is to donate to organizations you know and trust.

Many people donate food to their local food banks. Local churches, sometimes schools, and independent volunteer organizations have organized to give out food to those in need. Here is a list of local food banks collected by The Seattle Times- https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/where-to-get-food-in-king-snohomish-pierce-counties-as-snap-lapses/.

You may want to make a monetary donation. You need to take care to donate to organizations that will truly give food to those in need and not pocket the money for their own ends. If you do not know of a local food bank that you know and trust, do a little research to find a food bank or charity that has a good reputation. One place to look is the Washington Secretary of State (SOS). SOS maintains a list of charities registered with it that you can search at: https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/nonprofits-charities/charities/information-donors.

You can also look for reputable charities at,

·         Better Business Bureau, Give.org- https://give.org/

·         Charity Navigator- https://www.charitynavigator.org/

·         Charity Watch- https://www.charitywatch.org/

·         Candid- https://candid.org/

 

If you hear about a charity that you think you might want to donate to you can also do a web search with the charity’s name and the words “complaint,” “review,” “rating,” or “scam.”

Scammers may pretend to be a charity to collect/take your money and/or collect your personal information. Be wary of unsolicited phone calls or text messages asking for a donation. Two red flags to watch for include,

·         Pressure to give immediately. A legitimate charity will welcome your donation whenever you choose to make it.

·         A request for payment by cash, gift card or wire transfer. These are scammers’ favored payment methods because the money is easy to access and difficult to trace.

If you see an ad, receive a phone call, email, or text message soliciting donations resist the urge to give right away. Take a breath and do a little research before giving.

 

AARP:

https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/charity/

 

Federal Trade Commission:

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/11/give-charity-not-scam

 

National Cybersecurity Alliance:

https://www.staysafeonline.org/articles/how-to-avoid-charity-scams