Simple Security Advice You Can Trust
The holidays are a wonderful time for connecting with family, shopping for gifts, and celebrating together. But scammers know this too, and they work overtime like elves during the holiday season—except instead of making toys, they're crafting convincing scams.
This guide shares straightforward, practical advice to help you and your family stay secure online. No technical jargon, no complicated steps—just common sense security that works.
Remember: If something feels off, it probably is. Trust your instincts.
For decades, we've been told to never write down our passwords. This advice made sense when the biggest threat was someone looking over your shoulder or finding a sticky note on your monitor.
But today? The real danger isn't your neighbor finding your password notebook—it's hackers halfway around the world trying millions of password combinations every second.
The real problem: Keeping passwords in risky places—like sticky notes on your monitor, written inside laptop bags, or stored with your computer when traveling. If your laptop gets stolen, having your passwords right there with it can turn a bad day into a disaster.
Here's what security experts now recommend: Write down your passwords in a notebook that you keep at home, in a safe place.
Why this works: The biggest risk to your online accounts isn't someone breaking into your home—it's using weak, easy-to-guess passwords or using the same password everywhere. A written list lets you:
• Create strong, unique passwords for every account
• Never forget or have to reset your passwords
• Keep them safe from online hackers who can't break into your physical home
Think of your password list like cash: Depending on your living situation, you might keep some cash on your nightstand, in a drawer, or somewhere more hidden. Same principle applies to your password notebook—assess your household and store it accordingly. Living alone? A desk drawer might be fine. Have frequent visitors or roommates? Consider somewhere more secure.
Storage options:
• Fireproof safe or lockbox: The same place you'd store birth certificates and insurance papers. Protects from both fire and prying eyes.
• Secure drawer or cabinet: Works well if you live alone or with trusted family.
• Keep it separate from your devices: Never store it with your laptop or in your laptop bag.
Need passwords on the go? If you travel or need access away from home, consider a password manager app like Bitwarden (free) or 1Password. These apps store your passwords securely and sync across your devices. They're like a digital safe that goes with you.
Planning ahead: Even if you use a password manager, keeping a written backup has an additional benefit—in the event of an emergency or if something happens to you, your loved ones can access your digital life and accounts if you wish them to. It's part of planning ahead, just like other important documents.
Scammers contact you pretending to be companies you trust—Amazon, your bank, Apple, Microsoft, even the police or sheriff's department. During the holidays, these scams spike dramatically.
Common examples: "Your package can't be delivered," "Suspicious activity on your account," "Your Netflix/Amazon Prime subscription is expiring," "Your computer has a virus—call this number," "This is the Sheriff's Office—you missed jury duty," "This is Apple Support about your iCloud."
Warning signs: Urgency, threats, unexpected contact, or pressure to act immediately.
If an email, text, or phone call involves your money, credit card, or bank account—STOP.
Don't click any links or call any numbers in the message. Instead:
Remember: Legitimate companies never demand immediate action. They give you time to verify through official channels.
CRITICAL WARNING: No legitimate company, government agency, or tech support will EVER ask you to pay with gift cards (iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, etc.) or wire money via Western Union or MoneyGram. If someone asks for payment this way—even if they sound official—it's 100% a scam. Hang up immediately.
Online shopping is convenient, but scammers create fake shopping sites that look real or advertise items they'll never deliver.
Shop smart:
Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security. Even if someone steals your password, they can't get in without the second factor—usually a code sent to your phone.
Enable it for: Email, banking, shopping accounts, social media.
Those annoying update notifications? They're actually important. Software updates fix security holes that hackers exploit.
What to update: Your phone, computer, web browser, and apps—especially banking and shopping apps.
You're browsing the web when suddenly: loud alarms, flashing warnings, "YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED!" with a phone number to call "Microsoft Support" or "Apple Security."
This is a scam. These pop-ups are designed to scare you into calling scammers who will then:
• Ask for remote access to your computer
• "Find" fake problems and charge you to fix them
• Steal your personal information and passwords
• Install actual malware on your computer
This is one of the sneakiest scams: A pop-up, ad, or scammer on the phone (often pretending to be tech support) tells you to fix a problem by copying and pasting commands into your computer.
Here's the trick: They tell you to copy innocent-looking text or press Windows+R and paste. But hidden code on their website secretly changes what's on your clipboard. When you paste, you're actually running dangerous commands that give them control of your computer.
Common scenarios:
• A pop-up says "Press Windows+R, paste this, and hit Enter to fix the error"
• "Copy this code into Command Prompt to check your system"
• "Paste this into PowerShell to remove the virus"
We're creating helpful video tutorials to walk you through these concepts step-by-step. Check back soon!
🎥 Video Content Placeholder