Your smartphone security can be improved in various ways, such as setting up strong passcodes or using biometric authentication methods. In this webinar, our teen tech mentor discusses the importance of keeping your operating systems and apps up to date to protect against potential threats, as well as location sharing and data access, to teach you how to safeguard your personal information and maintain a high level of privacy on your smartphones.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a digital tool that provides a secure and private connection between a device and the internet. In this webinar, our teen tech mentor teaches you how virtual private networks (VPNs) can help you protect your online privacy and security while traveling, especially when you’re using public Wi-Fi networks.
Passwords are your first line of defence when it comes to online safety. By creating and using strong passwords, you greatly enhance your online safety and reduce the risk of falling victim to cyberattacks or identity theft.
In 2022, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) identified nearly $6 billion in tax fraud, with more than 100,000 employment or tax-related identity theft reports to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). And according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, reports of scams and phishing emails and text messages impersonating Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) doubled between 2021 and 2022.
So what is tax fraud? It can involve someone impersonating the government, impersonating you, or impersonating a legitimate tax preparer. The motive could be different every time – they may be looking to steal your tax return, your information for identity theft, or to intimidate you into paying them immediately by threatening you and pretending to be the IRS or CRA asking for payment.
Criminals need very little personal data to steal your identity, file taxes in your name or steal your money — your name, SSN or SIN, birthday and address may be all it takes.
Unsolicited communications are a common thread in tax scams. It is important to know that tax agencies will typically communicate by mail. Even if your caller ID or your email says IRS or CRA, these can be spoofed, and you should call the number listed on the government agency’s official website, which you find via a Google search (vs. visiting a link within the unsolicited communication) to confirm the truth.
Many of these signs involve suspicious activity around your taxes, using your identity.
Tax-related identity theft is difficult to catch, making prevention the best way to ensure that your identity and tax return stay secure throughout the tax season. Pay close attention to the way you communicate with the IRS or CRA — and the sensitive data you expose in the process.
Here are some preventative steps to protect yourself against tax identity theft:
Tax fraud is not always preventable, and you may not know that it has occurred until it’s too late. A fraudulent tax return means a thief has your personal information, including your Social Insurance or Social Security number.
If you think you have been the victim of tax fraud, set up a fraud alert or credit freeze at the three credit bureaus. Protect your accounts using strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication.
Even if you’ve resolved a tax scam, you should consider identity theft protection like Aura since criminals can use your information to open fraudulent loans, commit bank scams, change your address and steal your mail, or even commit crimes using your name. Aura continuously monitors your credit file and alerts you when new inquiries are made into your accounts. Access your exclusive Aura offer at aura.com/marchblog
If you suspect that you have been a victim of identity theft related to your taxes, immediately contact the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) in the U.S. or The Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) in Canada.
In this webinar, our tech mentor discusses the types of data that major tech companies collect from their users. We also go over policies for sharing information with third parties and the privacy protections they have in place.
In this webinar, our teen tech mentor talks about different ways to search and find your digital footprint and how to protect your privacy and what you share online.
🔸 This webinar is sponsored by Newsguard 🔸
Join experts and journalists from NewsGuard to learn how misinformation spreads online and what you can do to protect yourself and loved ones from online threats.
Millions of people of all ages use dating apps and sites every day to build romantic connections. But unfortunately, those looking for love are not the only ones online dating. Hackers and criminals also prowl these sites, looking to take advantage of users – by either stealing their money or using their personal information to commit identity theft.
The numbers are alarming. Americans have lost nearly a billion dollars and Canadians lost nearly $60M to romance scams in the past year, according to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre data. Recent research from consumer cybersecurity company Aura found that adults 50–69 made up most victims of romance scams, losing nearly $180 million in the first three quarters of 2022 alone. Adults over age 70 had the highest median loss to these scams, indicating that while fewer people in this age group are dating online, those who do lost an average of $9,000 each — the most of any group, according to Federal Trade Commission data.
Here’s how it happens:
Often, they also engage in “catfishing” and steal attractive photos from real people’s social media or profiles. The catfishers may use flirty messages or dramatic stories that play upon victims’ emotions and build trust. Some scammers pretend to be overseas doctors, developers, or military service members — which they use as an excuse for on-and-off communication.
They might even ask you to communicate off the dating app and instead use an untraceable platform like Snapchat, WhatsApp or Telegram.
They may demand personal details, gifts, money, suggest that you invest in cryptocurrency, send private photos or visit a web link set up to steal your information. They’ll create elaborate scenarios where they need your “help,” for example covering costs for a family member, medical treatments or to get them out of trouble.
They might provide you with their phone number, but they will never be available when you call. They may even use an untraceable phone number, like a Google Voice number.
You probably will not be able to recover any money you sent them, and identity theft can take months to resolve in some cases.
Already given someone sensitive information? Secure your online and financial accounts by changing your passwords, setting up a fraud alert with the credit monitoring agencies, and reporting the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov in the U.S. and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Get help – monitoring your identity and finances can be stressful and time consuming — consider a solution like Aura.
If you sent a scammer money: Report the fraud to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in the U.S. or Canadian Anti-Fraud Center in Canada. You may be able to reverse wire transfers or track gift cards by contacting the company you sent them through. If you sent your credit card information, cancel your card and set up fraud alerts. Solutions like Aura’s make monitoring transactions and personal information easy and offer peace of mind.
If you think you may be a victim of identity theft or fraud: Look for the warning signs of identity theft. If you recognize any, follow these steps to secure your accounts and recover from identity theft. If you are in the U.S., report identity theft to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov or if you are in Canada, report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (1-888-495-8501).
If you think you may become a victim, have already given out information or money, or have been a victim of fraud or identity theft in the past, we highly recommend getting help. Sign up for Aura’s all-in-one digital security solution. Aura protects you from identity theft, financial fraud, and viruses like malware. Plus, if the worst happens, you have access to 24/7 Fraud Resolution Specialists and are covered by a $1,000,000 insurance policy for eligible losses due to identity theft. If you are interested in learning more about identity monitoring and protection, visit: aura.com/febblog
For more information about relationship scams, watch:
In this webinar, our teen tech mentor inspects the various security and privacy features on both Windows and Mac.
In 2022, over 21 million people’s data was exposed in just 11 large healthcare data breaches. Criminals hiding behind screens make a living from stealing – and selling – our personal identifiable information (PII) like names, birthdays, phone numbers, social security and insurance numbers.
Protected health information (PHI) is worth more than 200x the value of stolen credit card information and 1000x the value of a stolen Social Security number (SSN) on the Dark Web. Given the high value and digitized nature of health data storage, medical identity theft is on the rise. It can involve the following:
The cost of medical identity theft can be astronomical, with almost two thirds of victims reporting losses greater than $13,500. But the risk isn’t only financial. In some cases, the legitimate policy holder may receive a misdiagnosis or incorrect treatment plan, as a result of a fraudulent and incorrect medical history being created by a criminal. In the most serious cases, unexpected bills, incorrect diagnosis and loss of benefits could cost victims their lives.
Just last year, a U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services subcontractor experienced a data breach involving 254,000 Medicare beneficiaries’ PII. Those potentially impacted were notified and received updated Medicare cards and Beneficiary Identifiers.
Canada’s largest provider of medical diagnostics and testing services, LifeLabs, was also recently breached. Hackers stole 15 million patients’ names, addresses, email, passwords, date of birth, health card numbers and even test results.
In many cases, it can take years for victims of medical identity theft to realize they’ve been targeted, only realizing when visiting the doctor’s office or the hospital. By then, benefit limits may have been reached, with thousands of dollars in fraudulent claims filed.
While all of this can feel overwhelming, the best way to tackle medical identity theft is to be proactive about securing your sensitive information.
Pro tip: Sign up for a family identity theft monitoring plan. Aura can monitor and alert you if someone is trying to scam you online or your family’s sensitive information is being used for suspicious activity. If you are interested in learning more about identity monitoring and protection, visit: aura.com/janblog
For more information about Medicare scams and medical identity theft, visit: https://www.aura.com/learn/what-can-someone-do-with-my-medicare-number