Online Safety While Social Distancing

The recent quarantine and social distancing guidelines set by the CDC due to COVID-19 have people ditching face-to-face socialization and running to the next best thing… social media! With go-to social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and businesses using standard email and the Zoom video conferencing app people are utilizing online communication technology more than ever.

With an increase in online communication comes an increase in scammers. Scammers, like any money-making businesses, seek opportunities whenever they see them. Unfortunately for those who are just trying to connect with friends or work from home, these scammers are using this upsurge in online activity as an opportunity to target those whom they think they can scam.  

Here are 3 things to keep in mind as you navigate safely online:

• Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: Never accept friend requests or reply to messages from someone you do not actually know or who has a duplicate account without verifying it's really them. Even if you have mutual friends, your friends could have been duped by these dubious scammers as well, making it look like they know the same people you know. This is just a tactic used to make them seem more trust worthy. The scammer will friend as many people as will accept them to look as if they are a local person in your circle of friends.
  
   
• Email: Common among businesses are scam emails requesting you to “make a purchase” on someone else’s behalf. It may look like a real person you know; a friend, co-worker, or even your boss, but do not be fooled. This type of scammer will say whatever it takes (usually promising gifts) to get you to buy gift cards or give them your company bank account information. If you ever get an email of someone (even a co-worker or boss) wanting you to “make a purchase”, do not reply to it. Better yet, call the person on the phone and verify if it’s them - more than likely it’s NOT them. NEVER send bank account information, gift card numbers, or anything having to do with money over an email without first calling and speaking to the person requesting it on the phone.

• ZOOM/video apps: The app with the highest growth during this home lock-down saga has got to be ZOOM. People are using ZOOM for business conference calls, church meetings, school lessons, exercise classes, and to just hang out “face-to-face” with friends. As convenient and versatile as this app is, it too comes with its own set of security and safety issues. The most prevalent concern thus far is that anyone can join a ZOOM meeting. A cyber attack referred to as "Zoombombing" is when someone you do not know joins in your meeting and basically hijacks the session and in some cases begins flooding the meeting with profane and/or pornographic material. They may also be recording the hijacking to then post on TikTok or YouTube for the entertainment of others. Since the creation of this article, ZOOM is now working on this security issue and are testing "Waiting Rooms" and other means of filtering who can join a ZOOM session.
• Another more comical issue is where someone does not realize another person is on a ZOOM meeting and says something or is dressed (or not dressed) in a manner not intended for public viewing, then proceeds to say something or walk-by in the background of the ZOOM viewing area. While these video clips of people are popular online, they can also pose a security and safety threat. Your personal information being viewed online or someone being unknowingly exposed indecently are things to be aware of when starting a ZOOM session. Let everyone in your household know when you will be in the ZOOM app and try to position yourself where no personal information can be displayed.

Some of these tips may seem like common sense, but sometimes when we are in the moment we don’t stop and think “is this who I think it is”, then before you know it, you’ve replied to someone who’s not who you thought. Use these apps wisely and continue to stay connected keeping your employees communicating, and your business running smoothly, even from home.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay connected.

Written by Shanda Anders