Limpert Tech "SullyCast" on ALT 105.7 and iHeartRadio 5/7/21 - Celeste Boyd-Spear, Vice President and General Manager of AT&T Southeast Retail, Cyberaware Tips

Important topic this weekm as Rick is joined by Celeste Boyd-Spear of AT&T.

Robocalls from the IRS, fake websites to help you get your stimulus check…it seems we’re constantly hearing a new scam that has surfaced.  

In a recent survey commissioned by AT&T, 55% of consumers said they’re spending more time online over the last year, which is no surprise considering the pandemic. But as more of our lives migrate online, legitimate concerns about security are also increasing.

Have a listen:

On a scale of 1-100, consumers rate their own digital security a 60/100. And more than a third of consumers recognize they need to do something to protect themselves from scams and cyberattacks.  AT&T has a strong history of helping people be more cyber-aware, and we have some tips to help you spot and avoid scams.

AT&T spokesperson Celeste Boyd-Spear: Scammers were busy in 2020, with the FTC receiving more than 2 million fraud reports. Now, with COVID stimulus checks out there and tax season, we need to be more vigilant than ever.

Tools and tips (among others) to discuss for protecting ourselves against fraud:

Red Flags: Scammers will always try to pressure you, they will demand answers and money right away and either dangle a threat or a reward. When you hear that kind of pressure, you know it is NOT legitimate.

Lots of tips from Celeste:

Use Call blocking tools
⦁    FTC says phone calls and texts are still the number one way that scammers reach people
⦁    AT&T estimates in 2020 alone, we blocked or labeled approximately 17 million spam calls a day.

Don’t click on suspicious links or visit unknown websites
⦁    Links to viruses and destructive software (called malware) can be transmitted through text messages and emails.

And more... give the segment a listen.