COVID-19 sent cybercriminals into overdrive - how to protect your personal finances

With the onset of COVID-19 and the move to remote work, emerging threats like cybercrime skyrocketed. And the types of cybercrimes also increased: Phishing campaigns increased 11% over the past year while ransomware attacks increased 6%, according to the Verizon Business 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report. Organized crime-like instances of misrepresentation surged by 15 times compared to 2020. "People never think they’ll be targeted," said John Bauer, president and chief revenue officer of IDIQ, an identity theft, credit monitoring, and data breach management company. "But when it comes to cybercrime, it’s not a matter of if but when your personal information is put at risk. Credit report and identity theft monitoring is essential when it comes to protecting yourself. These services can come with identity theft insurance and identity theft restoration assistance, so you are protected if you do become a victim.-- More...