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If you ever have a house fire or are burglarized, you now have a record of everything that was in your house at that specific time. It makes processing an insurance claim much easier.
According to Statista, data breaches—security incidents that expose confidential and sensitive information to unauthorized parties—rank among the top concerns company leaders have. In the third quarter of 2024 alone, 422.61 million data records were leaked in breaches. This impacted millions of people globally.
“These incidents are complex; they impact individuals, organizations, and government entities, sometimes simultaneously. Because of how precious human attention is, companies want to have as much information as possible about consumers, and they're ready to pay a high amount of money to those who gather this information. Thus, individuals’ personal data goes a long way, and can end up in the hands of cybercriminals,” Statista explains.
AAG reports that, in 2024, data breaches cost the average business a whopping $4.88 million. In the United Kingdom, around half of all businesses experienced some form of cyber attack in 2023. In the first half of 2022, over 236 million ransomware attacks occurred around the world. And back in 2021, around half of American internet users had their accounts breached.
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Cybersecurity and scams are massive concerns. The former has been an issue since the dawn of the computer age, while the latter are as old as time itself. And it’s likely that the fight against scammers and other malicious actors will never be won.
As technology improves, criminals get access to new tools and come up with new ways to weasel people out of their hard-earned cash and private data. However, security professionals come up with new security protocols, too.
Meanwhile, the general public learns about the top news scams to be wary of… while falling prey to even newer ones. It’s a never-ending battle.
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One recent concern that has been popping up in casual conversations is that scammers might use artificial intelligence tools to clone your voice or those of your loved ones in order to upgrade their phone scams. Phone scammers rely on creating a sense of urgency during calls. If they have access to the voices of the people you trust, this could vastly expand the number of potential targets.
It’s one thing to hear a stranger saying they’re a relative of yours and that they’ve been in an accident. It’s another thing entirely when that stranger is generating text using your relative’s voice. In these situations, it’s probably best to hang up and reach out to your family and friends for advice. Check in with the person who’s supposedly in trouble using their actual phone, social media, or email. Scammers rely on panic to get you to make mistakes.
Staying calm and focused under stress is how you fight back. But, it’s easier said than done. You need practice. When you’re in the middle of a stressful situation, you tend to rely on your training and your gut. If your gut says that something is too good or bad to be true, then it likely is.
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What do you personally think the biggest security concerns are in this day and age, dear Pandas? What do you do to stay safe online? When was the last time somebody tried to scam you, and how did they try to trick you? Let us know in the comments! And remember—keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
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I see it all the time in the winter, pedestrians walking around, looking at their phones while wearing a black jacket or coat. Get off your phone while walking and wear brighter colors. You are practically invisible at night and in dim light while wearing black.
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If you saw how fast fire can spread you’d have extinguishers everywhere.
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If you receive a letter about a debt or other sensitive matter, say your electric bill, don’t call the number on it without independently verifying it first. I’ve actually legit gotten fake water bills.
Do not redirect payments based on emails. In fact, it’s best not to direct them at all based on an email. Scammers will interject themselves into real estate transactions, contract negotiations, etc. They’ll use an email that looks similar to the one you’ve already been in contact with or gain access to the real one. If possible, discuss changes in-person or on-the-phone (at a verified contact number).