Scammers have a full-time job looking for more sophisticated ways to defraud you of your money or personal information. If it was not enough for them to troll social media sites and hacking zones, now some are pretending to be UKPC. Whether it is being scammed out of parking tickets or something else, these clever schemes manage to defraud millions of people each year. By combining new technology with old tactics, some people are falling victim to these attacks. However, you can protect yourself by becoming alert to these tricks. The following tips can help prevent you from becoming their next victim.Accept the Fact That Scammers ExistWhenever an uninvited contact is made with you, whether from a business or person, always consider it is possible that it is an attempt to scam you in some way. The connection could be made by mail, email, on a social media site or over the phone.Anything that sounds too good to be true is usually not true. Always know who you are dealing with in different situations. Research the business to determine its legitimacy, for example.Never Open Suspicious Emails or TextsDo not open any emails or texts that look suspicious. Never believe that an official government agency will contact you via email about money owed to you. If you are unsure of the source or origin of the message, verify the identity through a different independent source. A quick online search will either confirm it is real or confirm that others were victims of a scam.Keep Personal Information and Devices SecureAlways keep your personal information secure. Shred paper bills and other important documents that have some type of information about your finances. Be careful about the details you share on social media. Any person trolling sites know exactly what to pick up on when they are hunting for victims.Sometimes what seems innocuous to you is all a thief needs to hack into your life and create fake identities. Likewise, keep computers and mobile devices secure. Keep password protection on at all times and keep security software updated. Never use public Wi-Fi to access online banking.Additionally, choose passwords that are too difficult for others to guess, but not too hard for you to remember. Change passwords regularly. Stronger ones should have a mix of upper and lower case letter as well as symbols and numbers.Keeping your information secure may seem like a hassle. However, not letting your personal life into the hands of thieves is worth the effort.
