October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. With advances in artificial intelligence, online scams are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect.
, 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.
鈥淐ybersecurity is a growing concern for many Americans and people all over the world,鈥� Google technology expert Jennifer Jones said.
According to Jones, package tracking scams and toll road scams are on the rise. That鈥檚 when scammers send a fake text message or email claiming they鈥檙e 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鈥檛 know and check for spelling mistakes or odd email addresses.
鈥淵ou just need to be a little vigilant and make sure that you are validating and verifying before sharing any personal information or financial information,鈥� she said.
Google just released a new online game called 鈥淏e Scam Ready鈥� 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鈥檚 a suspicious message in your inbox and stop you if you click on a fraudulent link.
鈥淚f it feels suspicious or looks suspicious or seems too good to be true, it very likely could be,鈥� Jones said.
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