Whether iPhone or Android, cell phones and personal computers hold the key to a litany of personal information. Passwords, location, social media and credit card information are all targets for cyber criminals and the pandemic has helped to make hacking as easy as taking candy from a baby. Keeping personal information safe and using the proper safety guards can help to ward off criminals.
The year 2020 brought along an unprecedented number of hardships and for the last year families continue to try and recover from its devastating effects. While the virus has greatly impacted the quality of life, it has also created financial burdens for many. Aggravated by thieves, the financial loss during the pandemic due to cybercrimes is staggering.
Earlier this year, the FBI released its report on cybercrimes during 2020 and the results were alarming. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, there were almost 800,000 reports of suspected internet crimes. This number is up more than 500,000 from 2019’s reported 300,000 cases. With just about $4.2 billion dollars in victim loses reported in 2020, the largest targeted demographic is older people aged 60 and up. With just under $1 billion dollars is losses last year, senior citizens are especially targeted for their ease in providing personal information.
A native Detroiter, Sakinah Tanzil, the self-proclaimed Certified Cybersecurity Career Coach launched STEM Coaching to individuals and businesses. Interests were piqued in high school at the height of the Y2K scare. During this time, the internet was still new and tech giants, data professionals and cyber security organizations believed data would be wiped from computer systems leaving the world in a technological downturn.
“At the time, it was hysteria. People were saving bulks of food and trying to back up information and it was a global effort,” says Tanzil, CEO at STEM Coaching. “I had been seeing it on the news and wondered if there was some way I could help. So, I was inspired by the call to service and I felt like it was my duty to enroll myself in college and find out more about computer information systems.”
Now, with multiple degrees and certifications under her belt, this cyber-Queen is ensuring her city is prepared against cybercrimes and breaches in security. Targeting social media first, criminals can gauge several key facts just with a victim’s social media. Here, thieves can determine where their target has been, is going or what recent purchases have been made.
“We just love to share, and they don’t realize that this is a public domain and people are out scouring the Internet, hackers are working 24/7 to figure out how to socially engineer you which means they are trying to find data about you whether it is access to your credit card information, healthcare data or medical health cards so they can commit some type of fraud,” says Tanzil.
All criminals do not attack via the web. Criminals have become advanced in their approach once all data has been collected. Hackers and scammers then use this information and find a way to reach out to their victims to hatch their elaborate schemes.
“They will try to reach out to you on email or on the phone. Sometimes, people will knock at your door acting like a utility company to get in to steal your physical items,” says Tanzil.
Once a cyber thief has the information needed, it is next to impossible to retrieve the breeched data, and cellular phones present one of the best ways to get into a victim’s personal information. The best way to ward off cyber criminals is to be proactive and limit online exposure and what is purposely uploaded to social media channels.
To keep information safe, there are various programs and software users can install to provide an added layer of protection.
“There’s privacy software that you can put on your mobile device that scans your phone to make sure there is no sharing of sensitive information from your phone,” says Tanzil. “There’s software that you need to protect your desktop and your mobile device because now we have information everywhere.”
Hackers and scammers are also able to send malicious spyware and malware with just the click of a button. By sending a link via text or email, thieves will have an inside track to everything on the target’s phone and computer system once the victim taps the link. Seemingly harmless, these links assist criminals in accessing your personal information for their personal gain or to sell the information to the highest bidder on the dark web.
“You have to protect yourself in the physical form and now in the technological form, too,” says Tanzil.
Cyber criminals like to attack victims who pose a low threat to their systems. Children and senior citizens are most vulnerable as they often share information willingly and without a second thought of nefarious deeds. For seniors, gaining access to their social security information makes the older community an easy target. Often not tech-savvy, senior citizens will share sensitive information over the phone or over the net leaving them open for fraud and identity theft.
“Sometimes they’re just really friendly and want to socialize and they just give out more information. It can happen on a phone call; it can happen if they have access to social media. They don’t realize these people are scamming you to get information,” says Tanzil.
For children, keeping them and the information they may share is a top priority. With apps like TikTok and Instagram, cyber criminals can gain access to children and trick them into over sharing. Placing blockers and parental controls on social sites and devices can help to keep children and the entire family safe.
“Parents need to get more involved. There are ways you can put parental controls and privacy settings on this technology, and you have to monitor them,” Tanzil says. “You have to put those settings in place before they actually start to get on that technology.”
Interpol, or the government agency The International Criminal Police Organization, reported during the pandemic that cybercrimes shifted from people and small businesses to major corporations, governments and other critical infrastructures. If criminals can successfully hack into these, there will be nothing individuals can do to protect their information. However, corporations usually have a litany of security systems in place for protection, but skilled hackers can sometimes work around them.
“The security is on you. You have to be a little more aware. Just like you have a padlock on your door, you need to have a padlock and security settings on your systems,” Tanzil says.
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