Spot a scam before it hits you - and your finances: How to protect yourself against increasing online threats

Daily Mail​

a day ago

More than £570 million was stolen in payment fraud in the first half of 2024 according to trade association UK Finance, with scams continuing to pose a significant threat to your personal finances.
The latest high-profile cyber attacks on M&S, Harrods and Co-op have only highlighted the need to protect yourself against scams.
> How McAfee Scam Detector can help you outsmart scammers
M&S has admitted that certain customer details were stolen and is recommending that users change their passwords for their online accounts.
Scams often heat up after major cyber attacks. You should be extra cautious if you receive texts, emails or calls claiming to be from well-known organisations, such as M&S or Co-op.
What steps can you take to avoid being conned out of your money? With the help of McAfee we explain.
Think twice: Check you're dealing with a legitimate organisation before giving your details
How to protect yourself against scams
Fake messages or scam calls often request you to part with sensitive information urgently, with the aim of stealing your financial details. This gives criminals access to your accounts – allowing them to steal your money.
Regarding the recent cyber attacks, you should be wary of any contact claiming to be from the organisations affected.
Scammers take advantage of events like this, sometimes by demanding that you hand over your financial details in return for compensation or another monetary reward.
The Take Five campaign against fraud recommends three steps when you're asked to divulge sensitive information:
Stop: Don't part with information – or your cash – before taking a minute to think about it first. Criminals will try to rush you, so hold your ground.
Challenge: It's better to ignore, reject or refuse suspicious requests than go along with them. You can contact the organisation to check the contact is genuine.
Protect: If you've parted with sensitive information, get in touch with your bank (or other relevant financial provider) straight away and contact Action Fraud.
You should also review how secure your online accounts and devices are. For example, the National Cyber Security Centre recommends:
Protecting accounts with strong, unique passwords – especially sensitive accounts such as your email (if you use the same password across multiple accounts, criminals only need one to gain access to everything).
Creating passwords using three random words, which makes them more difficult to hack (many passwords also require you to use numbers, special characters and capital letters).
Using a password manager.
Installing software and app updates as soon as they're available.
Enabling two-step verification where possible, which adds an extra layer of protection.
Backing up your data.
Finally it's imperative you protect your devices with powerful online protection software, which can detect threats and neutralise them before they cause harm.
How can online protection software help you avoid scams?
Online protection apps traditionally protect your devices against malicious software, but the programs available today can go much further than that.
For example, McAfee's Scam Detector flags suspicious emails and texts and can even block risky sites if you accidentally click through to them.
It can also alert you to potential deepfake video scams – these are becoming more common, with AI duping people into parting with their cash.
McAfee Scam Detector can also help you become more savvy about detecting scams in the first place, because it explains why it's flagged a suspicious email.
Scam Detector is included in all McAfee's core plans, including McAfee Total Protection and McAfee+.