Scam phone calls have seen a major resurgence despite regulations such as the National Do Not Call List. The best practice here is also the simplest: Don’t answer calls from unfamiliar numbers. Set up a voicemail inbox with a descriptive prompt so that legitimate callers can get in touch. Scam callers will often not leave […]

Remember the National Do Not Call Registry? This database, authorized by the federal  Implementation Act of 2003, contains a list of phone numbers of individuals and families who have indicated that they do not want telemarketers to contact them. At the time of its creation, it was widely heralded as a big step forward for […]

VPN allows you to connect to the internet securely by keeping your exchanges private while you use Wi-Fi. VPNs encrypt connections at the sending and receiving ends and keep out traffic that is not properly encrypted. If a VPN is available to you, make sure you log onto it any time you need to use […]

ATMs have long been targets of sophisticated cyberattacks designed to steal PINs or extract data from old-fashioned magnetic stripe cards. Luckily, there’s an increasingly common way to avoid giving away so much info when trying to withdraw or deposit cash – cardless ATMs. Some banks allow you to login in to one using your phone, […]

Mobile ads can be very assertive. In some cases, you’ll be browsing a site only to have the page hijacked to another one saying you’ve won a prize, which you most likely have not. The only reliable way to avoid these risky redirects is via an extension to a browser such as Safari on iOS, […]

If you ever want or need to change your phone number, be sure to check on your two-factor authentication (2FA) setups first. Many 2FA services use your phone number, meaning you might no longer get the needed texts or calls to access your accounts after changing. Use alternatives like authenticator apps or trusted devices instead […]