CONSUMER CORNER: Spotting The Signs & Avoiding The Hack

Provided by the Bucks County Department of Consumer Protection:

Hackers can compromise your information in so many ways. In no time your bank account could be emptied, and your credit negatively impacted. Recovering from Identity Theft and your personal information being compromised can be an arduous process, so it is best to focus on prevention. Taking all the precautions to safeguard your information by spotting the signs of a hack and using the tools we will outline below to avoid a hack, could save you a lot of time and headache in the future. The good news is there are many clear ways to tell if you have been hacked so you can take action to stop it from impacting your credit or finances at the first sign of a problem.

First let’s talk about some of the “symptoms” you may notice if your device has been hacked. The most obvious but often overlooked symptom, which could be a sign of a hack or potential malware on your device is that your device will begin to run slowly. Keep in mind a device could also run slow if the memory is almost full or the processor is older and outdated. So don’t panic and think that just because your device runs slowly that your information has been compromised. However, it’s worth investigating the issue and running a diagnostic program to make sure there are no viruses, keystroke loggers, or malware on your device. If that comes up clean then updating your antivirus and firewall protection would be a good preventative step to take to safeguard your device and the information stored on it including passwords, and sensitive files such as tax forms, investment account, or banking statements.

If your device starts freezing, crashing, or locking up this could also be a sign that your device has been compromised. Seeing the “blue screen” is not a normal occurrence for a computer. There can also be non-malicious causes of these issues, however all of them would warrant further diagnostic, potentially by a local computer repair professional if you need assistance. If you experience any of these issues your first step should be to run a diagnostic check for viruses or other malware that could be compromising your device and the personal information stored on it and if that turns up no results then seeking out a local computer repair professional may be a good next step.

If your webcam is randomly activating on its own, you may see a little white light next to the built-in camera, if your computer has one. If the webcam is activating randomly, or when you launch a browser, this could be a sign that your device has been compromised and a hacker could be remotely activating the camera and microphone. You may also see a pop up that your webcam security settings have changed or notice audio or video files saved to your device that you did not create. Many newer computers have a privacy guard that you can open and close over the webcam, or a simple piece of tape and paper over the camera can make sure you’re maintaining your privacy when the webcam is not in use. If your webcam is activating seemingly on its own, this is a red flag to run diagnostics on your computer or seek out the assistance of a local computer repair professional.

Another sign or symptom your device may have is that it’s running hot or the fan is making a lot of noise as if it’s working hard processing data when you’re not using the computer, tablet, or phone. This could be the sign of a malware infection on your device. Malware programs run in the background and bog down a systems processing speeds while they’re mining data. It’s best to run a virus and malware scan if you notice these symptoms.

Another red flag of a potential hack involves passwords. If you are attempting to log into a website or account that you’ve used recently and know you’ve entered your password correctly, but it won’t go through this could be a sign of a hack. Try resetting your password and if the security questions you had set have also changed then a scammer could have hacked your account and taken it over. At this point you should immediately contact the business or website through a trusted number to verify your identity and inform them that your account has been compromised. They can help secure your account and reset your login information. Going forward using a dual authentication feature if offered by the bank, merchant, or company can further protect your account from future hacks. Dual authentication can have a unique code sent via text message to your cell phone at each login so unless someone steals your phone, they won’t be able to compromise your account.

Another sign of a potential hack or malware on your device is that your web searches get redirected or maybe your default search engine has changed. This can happen if your device has been infected with a browser redirect virus. These types of viruses can alter your search engine and redirect you to malicious websites that may look legitimate but will compromise your data and any information entered into them. At this point you should be running antivirus software to remove the threat or if you need assistance take your device to a trusted local computer repair shop.

One less obvious sign of a potential hack, malware, or spyware intrusion on your computer would be if your homepage has been changed. For example, if you have your computer set to always open your web browser to your favorite search engine but it now opens another site when you click into your internet browser this could be a sign of something called homepage “hijacking”. As with the other signs of a potential hack you want to take steps to secure your device by running an updated version of antivirus software, and potentially enlist professional assistance from a local computer repair shop. Don’t simply change the homepage back to your preferred site, you need to make sure your device is secure as well in case there is potential spyware, malware, or a virus compromising your computer.

If you suddenly notice you’re getting pop-ups and ads, when you previously had a pop-up blocker enabled on your browser, this could be a sign of a virus or malware infection on your device. Update your antivirus software to the latest version, run a full scan, and see if it locates any potential intrusions. If necessary, contact your local computer repair shop for assistance with securing your device.

One of the final ways to spot a potential hack or compromise of your machine is by looking at the toolbar near the top of the browser. If you notice new add-ons that you did not install this should always be a concern and warrant further investigation into the source of the add-on. You can run a virus scan of the add-on and do a full system scan with an updated version of antivirus software to make sure your browser hasn’t been compromised by a virus or spyware.

While having your device hacked or compromised by a virus, malware, or spyware can be an unsettling experience, there are several easy ways you can protect your personal information. As you may have noticed a common theme in the solution noted for each of these potential hack signs, the first course of action is always to run a virus scan so having a reliable and updated antivirus/anti-malware program and keeping it up to date is your first line of defense. It’s not fool proof but making sure you keep the program set to automatically update will give you the most protection and least chance of your device being compromised. You also want to have your device or computer set to automatically update for any security patches or operating system updates as these will give you the most protection. Most devices have an option you can select to allow security and other important updates to install automatically when they become available.

There are many other ways to protect yourself besides antivirus software such as being vigilant and only installing software and apps from trusted sources. Many of the spyware and malware intrusions that infect computers and other devices originated from consumer’s installing software packages that aren’t legitimate. When downloading a computer program, first do some research to be sure the program comes from a reputable source and scan it with your antivirus software to make sure the program is malware free. 

While it may be difficult to remember multiple passwords, it is best not to use the same password for multiple logins or accounts to limit the impact in case your password was to be compromised. You want to always use a strong password or passcode on each of your devices and for all logins for websites. Use two-factor authentication whenever available to further secure your accounts so a unique code will be generated and sent to you at each login, further limiting your risk of being compromised. While it may be difficult to keep track of multiple passwords there are secure password managers, many offered by the same companies offering the antivirus software and for cell phones google and apple also offer secure password managers to assist you in keeping your account secure, so you don’t save them in a less secure way such as on post it’s or in the notes section of your phone.

While navigating security settings on computers and wireless routers can be a daunting task, you do want to make sure that you’ve secured your home network. Use all of the security features available when setting up your wireless router, change the admin password for your router settings to make it more secure. There are many local companies that offer on site tech support for setting up items such as this. While you secure your home network don’t forget to also keep your internet usage outside of your home secure. Never access personal or private information while connected to a public network, such as free Wi-Fi in a business or a public library computer. Whenever possible just use your cell phones wireless signal for internet or set your own hotspot for a computer or tablet device to connect through your own secure cell connection through your wireless provider.

It should go without saying that you should never click links in suspicious e-mails but unfortunately many people do just that, which is why this is one of the most common ways a hacker gains access to someone’s information, through a scam e-mail. Always hand type a web address in if you know it or go to a trusted search engine to locate the main website for the business the e-mail is supposedly from. On that same note keep in mind that some illegitimate e-mails may be trying to phish you into clicking a malicious link other e-mails could alert you to unauthorized access to your account, if you have signed up for security alerts that is. Always check the alert settings for your various banking and other online accounts where many offer e-mail and or text alerts for actions such as logins from new IP addresses, withdrawals, transactions over a certain dollar amount, and security issues such as a change of password or e-mail address. These alerts will give you an immediate indication of whether something you did not initiate or authorize is occurring so you can contact the business or bank to stop the hack in its tracks.

We all receive so many scam calls that I think a golden rule we should all be aware of is to never provide any kind of personal information over the phone on an unsolicited incoming call that could likely be from a scam artists impersonating a merchant or bank you have a business relationship with to phish for personal information they could use to compromise your accounts. If a caller starts asking questions looking for personal information or they threaten you in any way it’s best to hang up and report the scam call to the Federal Trade Commission through the Do Not Call List reporting website at www.donotcall.gov .

While we may have gone over a lot of information on ways to protect yourself and ways the scammers are trying to target you remember we all must be vigilant, educated, and prepared to avoid falling victim to a hack, virus, or spyware intrusion on our devices. Identity theft is on the rise and the main goal of hackers is to gain access to your personal information which they can then use to either sell on the dark web for a profit or build up enough information to financially compromise one of your accounts leaving a mess for you to recover from in their wake. While many think this won’t happen to me, keep in mind that the Federal Trade Commission reported receiving over 2.8 million fraud reports from consumers in the 2021 reporting period. These scam artists and thieves are constantly looking for new ways to trick people into revealing personal information or get you to fall for some sort of ruse so put some of these preventative steps into action, avoid the hack, and be a savvy consumer. If you’re ever unsure of whether something is a scam or legitimate, or have questions about ways to secure your identity after a hack involving your social security number being compromised, please don’t hesitate to contact Bucks County Consumer Protection. You can call 215-348-6060, e-mail us at consumerprotection@buckscounty.org, visit our website at www.buckscounty.gov/CP, or also by scanning the QR code available below.

To learn how to protect yourself from scams and fraud, please visit our website at; www.buckscounty.gov/cp.

Monthly Fraud Alerts brought to you by Bucks County Crimes Against Older Adults Task Force 24-hour hotline: 1-800-490-8505, Bucks County District Attorney’s Office: 215-348-6344, A Woman’s Place (AWP): 1-800-220-8116, Bucks County Area Agency on Aging: 267-880-5700, Bucks County Office of Consumer Protection: 215-348-6060, Bucks County Coroner’s Office: 215-348-3852, Bucks County Register of Wills: 215-348-6265, Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA): 1-800-675-6900, and U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services/OIG: 1-800-447-8477.