Surrey Neighbourhood Watch: Protecting yourself from fraud and cybercrime
Below is the seventh item of a series to update you on being safe online. This one is about how to be aware if you have been hacked and who to contact if you believe you have been.
Top tips for staying secure online
Data from the Surrey & Sussex Police Cyber Crime Unit shows that, for the first 5 months of this year, in Surrey, there were 358 reported losses due to online crime. Of these, around half were due to social media and email hacking so this shows the importance of having things like good passwords and two factor authentication in place. Interestingly only about one sixth of the incidents were due to computer virus/malware/spyware – so anti-virus software remains important but by no means does it ensure that you will not be hacked!
So, what are the signs to look out for as an indication that you may have been hacked? Unauthorised payments, messages that you don't recognise, or logins from strange locations can indicate that someone is accessing your account. In addition, if you receive a message from someone that seems different to their usual style it may be worth contacting them, by a different medium, in case they have been hacked.
If you see unusual account activity, start by contacting your account provider. If you also think you may have lost money, phone your bank, utility company etc. You can also report online crime to Action Fraud - www.actionfraud.police.uk
Further guidance on the steps to take if you have been hacked are on the below infographic from the National Cyber Security Centre.
