October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. With advances in artificial intelligence, online scams are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect.
According to the FBI, Americans lost $16.6 billion to online scams in 2024, a 33% increase from the year before. Phishing scams were among the top three cybercrimes reported by victims.
“Cybersecurity is a growing concern for many Americans and people all over the world,” Google technology expert Jennifer Jones said.
According to Jones, package tracking scams and toll road scams are on the rise. That’s when scammers send a fake text message or email claiming they’re trying to deliver your package or that you have unpaid tolls from driving.
They might ask you to pay a small fee or click on a link. Be skeptical of urgent requests from someone you don’t know and check for spelling mistakes or odd email addresses.
“You just need to be a little vigilant and make sure that you are validating and verifying before sharing any personal information or financial information,” she said.
Google just released a new online game called “Be Scam Ready” to educate people about online safety, letting you test your skills through interactive scenarios based on real-life examples of fraud. Google will also warn you when there’s a suspicious message in your inbox and stop you if you click on a fraudulent link.
“If it feels suspicious or looks suspicious or seems too good to be true, it very likely could be,” Jones said.
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