Stay vigilant against potential cyber threats

As community members celebrate Independence Day with family gatherings, fireworks and festivities, it's important to stay vigilant against potential cyber threats. Cybercriminals often take advantage of more relaxed attitudes on holidays by sending phishing emails and texts.

These deceptive and dangerous messages may claim to offer exclusive deals or urgent alerts that persuade people to click on malicious links and/or provide personal info to cybercriminals.

To help limit explosive cybercriminal threats, Verizon offers some cybersecurity best practices to help people stay safe and secure.

Verify before a click: Don't recognize the sender? Don't click! Always look for signs of phishing, such as strange email addresses and urgent requests. Confirm the source another way – if an unusual message comes from an unrecognized name, verify the identity via a different communication channel before responding. Use trusted websites and stick to well-known retailers; avoid deals that seem too good to be true.

Ensure the website's URL begins with "https" and shows a padlock icon in the address bar, indicating a secure connection. Don’t trust odd requests; be skeptical of unsolicited personal/financial info requests, even if they appear to be from friends/family or known companies.

Regularly update software to ensure devices and apps have the latest security patches. Use strong, unique passwords for accounts and enable multifactor authentication when possible. Be careful when using public Wi-Fi; avoid accessing sensitive information or making purchases over public Wi-Fi networks. For added security, use a virtual private network.

Report suspicious messages: Verizon customers in the U.S. can forward phishing texts to 7726.