Black Friday and Cyber Monday both bring opportunities for great deals—and the potential for theft. As more shoppers switch from in-person to online shopping, the opportunities for package theft and fraud increase. In addition, more shopping activity means more possibility of credit card fraud or identity theft. To stay protected from theft of all kinds, follow these tips for holiday shopping security.
Fraud continues to impact people of every age, yet those over the age of 60 report more financial loss than any other portion of the population. Elders between the ages of 60-65 report an average loss of $500 per successful fraud attempt. That number increases right along with age. Those 80 and older lose an average of $1500 per fraudulent attack.
If you are a member of our elderly population—or if you have a loved one who is—be aware of the following common scams. Each one affects seniors 60+ at a higher rate than any other age group. Once you know how the scam works, you’ll be far less likely to fall victim to it.
Many of us will be gifting from afar this year by purchasing and shipping our gifts online. The uptick in online shopping thanks to the pandemic means that there are more opportunities for fraud, ID theft, phishing, and other harmful scams.
With holiday fraud attempts already growing each year, it’s important to know how to keep yourself safe. Avoid these bad actors by employing some key online shopping security tips this year.
Whether they are the perpetrator, victim or witness, the majority of today’s schoolchildren will be involved in cyberbullying in some way. Now that most schools have moved online, instances of cyberbullying are likely to rise even higher. Access to the internet and their cell phone during remote learning hours will inevitably increase the risk for real-time cyberbullying.
The negative effects of online bullying can be severe. Victims are far more likely to use and abuse substances, skip class, and receive failing grades than their non-bullied peers. They are also at a greater risk for serious mental health issues such as depression, chronic anxiety and suicide ideation. Parents and teachers need to take particular precautions during this season of online schooling to make sure their child’s health and wellbeing are protected.
6 Ways Employees Might Compromise IT Security
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, so what better time to bring up the topic? Company owners want to be able to trust their staff. Yet, 52% of employers have noted that employees pose the greatest risk to company security. Considering that nearly 68% of businesses admit that their security risks are growing year after year, it is imperative that employers be able to rely on their staff to uphold security measures – even when no one’s watching.
Consider these six common ways employees compromise IT security. Once you understand where your employees need more guidance, you can offer it to them in a way that makes them feel valued and supported – a win for them and your company.
Upgrading School Security Systems
As a school administrator, are you wondering how to respond to new threats such as COVID-19 when you reopen your facilities? Besides the usual risks (vandals, thieves, intruders and potential shooters), administrators must now factor in hygiene and cleanliness protections (surveillance and monitoring may assist with these efforts).
The upside is that school buildings are less occupied and quieter than usual because of the pandemic. This provides the opportunity to get large projects done with less disruption, including bigger and more ambitious security infrastructure upgrades than would be possible during a normal summer season.
Online “casing” has become a new favorite tool of burglars throughout the country. Statistics show that nearly 75% of home invaders used a resident’s online presence in some way to target and locate their home. While adults use social media and other online platforms to engage with the world, children are far more 
invested in their virtual life, which makes them a vulnerable target for would-be burglars looking for easy access to a vacant home.
There are many ways you can monitor your child’s online presence to ensure that your entire family – and your home – are kept safe from intruders. First, it’s important to know exactly how potential robbers locate the information they need.
If you’re a parent, you already know the way tweens and teens socialize is online via video game chat rooms, virtual worlds, social networking sites, and blogs.
Although the Internet offers lots of useful and entertaining information, being online can put your kids at risk of falling victims to other online users – children as well as adults – who want to exploit and/or intimidate them.
It’s your responsibility to take the necessary precautions to protect your children. Read more →
Your most important job as a parent is protecting your children. The fact is that as they get older you’re not always going to be with them to keep them out of harm’s way.
However, you can help make sure they’re safe when they’re home alone by talking to them about home security and what to do in an emergency.
Here are some important home security tips to teach your children:
We’re concerned about helping you protect your family and your home from the bad guys. One way to do that, of course, is with a state-of-the-art home security system.
Another way is to safeguard your online identity. Whenever you connect to the Internet you are at risk of falling victim to a hacker who can steal your credit card numbers, passwords, tax information or even completely disable your device.
Follow these five tips to help you protect yourself online:
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