Five Ways to Help Protect Yourself from Scams in 2025

Episode 317 – Be on the lookout. Internet scams are getting more sophisticated. Here are five ways to help protect yourself.

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Transcript of Podcast Episode 317

Hello this is Bill Rainaldi, with another edition of Security Mutual’s SML Planning Minute. In today’s episode, five ways to help protect yourself from scams in 2025.

It should come as no surprise that internet scams are getting more sophisticated. According to a blog post published recently by Malwarebytes, a well-known provider of anti-malware software, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now making it easier to commit cybercrimes such as spear phishing.[1] Using an Al web-browsing agent that compiles publicly available information helps the bad guys make their phishing emails seem more realistic by personalizing the information.

With that in mind, the Social Security Administration, or SSA, has come up with a revised set of recommendations as to how you can protect yourself from internet scams. Their suggestions are:[2]

1. Protect your social media profiles.
The SSA recommends that you double-check the privacy settings on your social media accounts. It’s generally a good idea to limit the amount of personal information that is publicly available through social media. They also suggest that you look over your friends list to make sure that you are familiar with everyone there, and that there are no suspicious listings.

2. QR codes can be trouble.
A Quick Response, or QR code, is an easy way for a company to share information on their products or services. You simply point your cell phone’s camera at the code, click on the link, and it (hopefully) will take you to a website with more of the information you are looking for. QR codes are becoming increasingly popular. They are often used to access company websites, entertainment, transportation ticketing, restaurant menus and magazine articles.

Criminals have noticed that QR codes are becoming more widespread, and more fake QR codes are popping up. Criminals will put malevolent codes on social media ads, with the hope of hacking into your personal information. So, before accessing a QR code, you need to verify that it’s legit.

3. An oldie but a goodie: use strong passwords.
This one should be obvious by now. Stronger passwords are unique. They use a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. The SSA suggests that you avoid passwords that are easy to guess, such as birthdays and names.

According to a recent study, the most commonly used passwords in 2024 were “secret,” “123456” and “password.”[3]

The SSA also suggests that you consider using a password manager to generate unique passwords for each account. They also suggest passkeys when possible. An example of a passkey would be a fingerprint or facial recognition scan. They are considered faster and more secure than using a password. They are also believed to be resistant to phishing attacks over the phone, email, and social media.

4. Think before you share any personal information.
You should be suspicious whenever you receive an email or message asking for your password or username. It could be a phishing email. These tend to come from fake organizations that appear to be banks or other financial institutions, government agencies, or other organizations that you may already be familiar with. If there’s any doubt at all, it’s best to go to the organization directly through the official channels. You’ll find out soon enough if it’s real.

5. Be prepared!
The techniques used by scammers evolve over time. You need to keep up to date on the latest scam trends. SSA suggests that you make sure to follow reliable news sources, subscribe to alert services such as Fraud.org and Federal Trade Commission Consumer Alerts, and pay attention to scam and fraud warnings from local law enforcement agencies. The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be.

And we’ll throw in one of our own. Be suspicious with any email marked “urgent” or any email that threatens you with cancellation of your account. Quick action by you is just what a scammer is looking for.

Simply put, the criminals are learning and evolving. If you want to stay safe from cyber scammers, you need to do the same.

[1] Arntz, Pieter. “AI-supported spear phishing fools more than 50% of targets.” Malwarebytes Labs (blog), January 7, 2025.. https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2025/01/ai-supported-spear-phishing-fools-more-than-50-of-targets?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=b2c_pro_oth_20250113_januaryweeklynewsletter_v2_173644541424&utm_content=AI-supported (accessed Jan. 14, 2025).

[2] Bardin, William. “Resolve to Protect Yourself From Scams This New Year./Social Security Matters (blog), January 7, 2025. https://blog.ssa.gov/resolve-to-protect-yourself-from-scams-this-new-year/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery (accessed Jan. 14, 2025).

[3] Kan, Michael. “Here Are 2024’s Most Used (and Worst) Passwords: Is Yours on the List?” pcmag.com. https://www.pcmag.com/news/most-common-worst-passwords-2024-nordpass-is-yours-on-the-list (accessed Jan. 14, 2025).

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