Don't Be a Victim: A weeklong series -- NBC10 is giving you tips on how to not be the victim of fraudsters every day, starting Monday, April 29 through Friday, May 3. Follow along on TV and online and test your knowledge with our quiz.
Jeffrey Fritzman was Skyping with his sister in Florida when suddenly his computer screen went black and a strange login screen appeared.
At the same time, he got a phone call supposedly from his antivirus provider, who said they could fix the issue for $250. Fritzman had just become a victim of a ransomware scam.
Malicious emails and clickbait are gateways to cyber-attacks, but there are steps you can take to keep yourself from being a victim of this scam, cyber security consultant Matt Barnett said:
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1. Don't click on links you don't know.
2. Don't download files you weren't expecting to download.
3. Don't click on email attachments from someone you don't know.
4. Take preventative measures; back up your data, either on external had drives or cloud-based storage services.
5. Wipe your computer clean, but keep in mind this will probably get rid of any files that you haven't backed up.
Also, remember that if you do decide to pay the ransom, there's no guarantee the hackers will restore your data.
