Iowans Are Urged To Make Their Passwords ‘Strong’ To Ward Off Scammers

Statewide Iowa — With new online scams emerging almost daily, Iowans are being encouraged to use a little of their extra time during the holiday break to brush up on their computer security precautions.

Consumer protection advocate Michael Domke says you should consider using a password manager on your computer and phone, instead of reusing old passwords.

Domke says it’s important to keep the password you use for your personal email account or cell phone as strong as possible and never use it for other apps or websites. One really good idea, he says, is to put your most important accounts, such as your email, banking and credit card accounts, behind two-factor authentication.

That way, even if someone can work out your password, your information will stay safe and you can be alerted to update your password. He notes, even cursory knowledge about you could let people get past basic security questions.

Making a password “strong” may involve having it be at least eight characters, with some upper and lower case letters, as well as numerals and symbols.

Many scammers will use social media posts to solicit what would become answers to security questions, so be cautious and think about what security questions often are, and compare that to what a given social media trend is asking you to “comment” on.

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