One of the most frequently seen issues from hacking is cyber-fraud. Hackers are able to use their considerable skills to steal people’s money, sometimes significant amounts which can be a lifetime’s savings. Unfortunately, these stolen funds are often quickly spirited away from the country they were stolen from, leaving the police with a difficult job in trying to get them back, and also in many cases the banks unwilling to admit that they made a mistake in order to refund the victims.
This is not to suggest that the police and banks will not do anything to help. The problem is that there are many instances in which they cannot and do not, and this means that assuming that such help will come is a major issue for regular people who are not experts in cybersecurity. This means that instead of expecting help to come in the event that anything happens, it is incumbent on ourselves to try to mitigate any possible eventualities by taking measures beforehand.
By expecting less help to come, we will be forced to become more reliant on our own sense when it comes to dealing with banking issues. Since one of the main ways in which criminals get our details in the first place is through social engineering, we have to become much less willing to give out our personal details. This will reduce the likelihood of getting defrauded. We can also develop other good habits, such as only keeping a minimal amount of funds in online connected accounts and keeping most savings in an offline account. This means any cyber-fraudster getting into that account only has access to the minimal funds, and not the main bulk of the savings.
Cyber-fraud is a relatively new phenomenon. Although its incidence is increasing, it may be possible that banks and the police come up with original ways in which to combat this menace in the coming years. However, this seems to be an unlikely scenario. Instead of expecting anybody to come up with such developments, we should make sure to do what we can now, and not wait for someone to come to our rescue. Although expecting less of banks and police with regard to protecting us in these matters is not going to stop cyber-fraud, it can help us to reduce the chances that we will be victims by encouraging us to become more wary and getting us to develop better habits with regard to these kinds of issues.