Small steps can make a big impact on your online safety. Learn how to recognize threats, verify what’s real, and protect your information every day.
Be CyberSmart. Stay Safe & Secure.
Stop! Before You Act
Pause. Think. Stay Safe.
Cybercriminals often try to create urgency to get you to react quickly. Slowing down gives you time to spot red flags before you click, share, or respond.
Helpful Tips:
- Take a moment to pause before clicking links, opening attachments, or responding to unexpected messages.
- Cybercriminals rely on urgency, fear, or curiosity to get you to act quickly—slowing down helps you avoid their traps.
- Ask yourself: Was I expecting this message? Does anything feel off?
Check if It Is Real
Don’t Trust at First Glance
Fraudulent emails and websites are designed to look convincing. A few quick checks can help protect you from scams.
Helpful Tips:
- Verify the sender’s email address, spelling, tone, and links—small inconsistencies are red flags.
- Hover over links to preview the real URL before clicking.
- When in doubt, contact the company or person directly using a trusted phone number or website, not the information provided in the suspicious message.
Protect Your Information
Keep Your Personal Details Secure
Your information is valuable. Keep it protected by using strong security habits.
Helpful Tips:
- Never share passwords, PINs, or sensitive account details over email, text, or social media.
- Enable multi‑factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible to add an extra layer of security.
- Use strong, unique passwords for each account—or a password manager to keep them organized and safe.
Types of Scams
Scams come in all shapes and sizes and can be personal or business based. They can be digital correspondence, phone calls or even in person. We want to help you identify these to protect you and your assets. Scroll through the below slides to learn more about the different types of scams.
Scammers use fake emails, text messages, or phone calls that appear to be from legitimate organizations (like a bank, government agency, or a company you use) to steal your personal information.
The scammer pretends to be a person you know (a family member in an emergency, for example) or a figure of authority (like a law enforcement officer or an IRS agent) to scare or pressure you into sending money.
Scammers create fake online profiles and build emotional or romantic relationships with victims over time, eventually fabricating a crisis or need for money.
Scammers promote fake investment opportunities, often involving promises of high returns with little to no risk (cryptocurrencies are a common vehicle), to get you to invest money that you will never see again.
These can involve fake websites offering great deals where you pay for items you never receive, or complex schemes involving counterfeit checks where you are tricked into wiring money back to the scammer.
Scammers advertise fake jobs that require you to pay an upfront fee for training or equipment or involve processing counterfeit checks to steal money from you.
A pop-up or unsolicited call claims there is a virus or problem with your computer and asks for remote access or payment for "repairs".
You are told you've won a lottery or inherited money but must pay "fees" or "taxes" upfront to release the funds.
How to Spot a Phishing Email
Take a look at these phishing email examples. Can you identify the warning signs that should prompt you to pause and realize the messages aren’t legitimate?
The misspellings in the above email usually indicate it’s a phishing attempt.
The name and email address in the above example do not match. That’s typically a very good indication that it’s a phishing attempt.
Protecting Information Online
There are many steps that you can take to protect your information online. Select each tip below to learn more.
Use Strong Authentication
Authentication is the act of proving that you are who you say you are. Strong authentication can protect your accounts by making it harder for cybercriminals to gain access.
- Create a new, unique password for each account.
- Never write down your passwords or share them with others.
- Add an extra layer of security to your accounts with multi-factor authentication, which combines something that you know (your password) with something that you have (such as a one-time passcode sent through text).
Keep Mobile Devices Secure
Mobile devices allow you to carry personal information with you everywhere you go, making them ideal targets for crime.
- Never leave mobile devices unattended.
- Secure your devices with password or PIN protected lock screens that activate after a short period of inactivity.
- Dowload apps from approved app stores and review app permissions before installing.
Use Care When you Share
Always take extra care when sharing any information to ensure that it doesn’t accidently fall into the wrong hands.
- Confirm that email addresses are correct and only the intended recipients are included when sending emails.
- Only allow access to people that you know need the information you are about to send.
- Review and adjust the file settings to allow others to view, edit or share only as needed.
Remain Sceptical and Report
Unexpected or urgent requests to share sensitive information or take some other action are always warning signs that something isn’t right.
- Verify the requestier’s identity using known contact information before taking action.
- If you cannot verify their identity, report the interaction to the organization.