Safeguarding your email from hackers

Did you know that nearly 6% of Canadians have had their email accounts hacked? Why? These accounts are a gold mine for fraudsters, filled with personal and sensitive information. From passwords and financial transactions to personal conversations and cherished memories, our email accounts hold a wealth of data. Imagine a hacker having unrestricted access to your passwords, contacts, schedule, financial transactions, photos of your children, and private conversations - it would be devastating.

The potential damage goes beyond personal intrusion; they could impersonate you, sending emails that appear to come from you and also use your email account as the basis for resetting the passwords and gaining access to your other accounts.

To protect yourself and reduce your potential exposure, here are a few tips:

Treat your email account as a vault for sensitive information: Review both your sent and received emails and assess the potential consequences if this information were to fall into the wrong hands. Remove any sensitive emails from your account and store them securely on your computer or a trusted shared network service. Don’t log into your email accounts when using public WiFi or a shared computer (for instance at a hotel or airport).

Manage your passwords diligently: Create strong, unique passwords for your email accounts and change them frequently, ideally every three months. Choose a password or passphrase with at least 12 characters and use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid using the same password for your email, online banking, apps, and social networking accounts. Most importantly, think of your password like a tooth brush - it should never be shared! If you want help creating and remembering really strong passwords, consider using a password manager. If you suspect someone else has unauthorized access to your account, change your password immediately.

Use separate email accounts for different purposes: To minimize the risk, consider using separate email accounts for personal and business use, online purchases, social media and online banking and apps. This way, if one account is compromised, your other accounts remain secure.

Enable multi-factor authentication: Where possible, use multi-factor authentication (MFA) to keep your email secure. For example, some phones will let you use your fingerprint or face or one-time passcode to verify your identity before allowing you to access your email. This extra layer of security can stop fraudsters from getting to your sensitive and valuable data.

Prevent email harvesting: If you choose to have your email address publicly available on a website, convert your email address into an image or change your email address by changing the "@" sign to "at" and the "." sign to "dot." This can help prevent spambot software from recognizing your email address and reduce the risk of receiving spam emails.

Exercise caution when dealing with unfamiliar emails: Don't open emails from unfamiliar individuals or organizations. Instead, delete the email. If you do open the email, refrain from replying, as it can confirm your address as active and lead to more spam emails. Be wary of suspicious links and attachments in emails. Only click on those you trust and expect to receive. Hover your mouse over the link to see the true destination before clicking.

Check to see if your accounts have been involved in a data breach: haveibeenpwnd.com lets you check via email address if any of your online accounts have been compromised by a privacy breach. If you have a positive result, change your passwords immediately. If you want help creating and remembering really strong passwords, consider using a password manager.

Report suspicious emails: If you receive unsolicited email containing suspicious attachments, report it to your email service provider by marking it as spam. You can also contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to report by phone or online.

Prevention is always better than dealing with the aftermath of a security breach. Take the necessary steps today to secure your email accounts and enjoy peace of mind knowing that your personal information is safe. To learn more about safeguarding your personal information check out TELUS Online Security powered by Norton™.