CyberSmart: How to stay a step ahead of fraudsters

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month – but staying cyber-safe matters year-round. As our reliance on digital tools has grown, cybercriminals have taken advantage, launching cyberattacks, phishing scams and other malicious activity against individuals and businesses.

While a number of organizations – including J.P. Morgan – work tirelessly to establish safeguards and protect customers, there are steps you can take, too. Below are tips and strategies to strengthen your digital defenses against cybercriminals and fraudsters.

As tactics continue to evolve, fraud remains a significant threat, with consumers reporting nearly $16 billion in fraud losses in 2025. While most financial institutions have rigorous systems in place to protect your data from breaches, it’s also important for you to stay vigilant by understanding emerging trends and taking action to protect yourself against potential exposure.

Below are some actions you can take for extra protection:

Bank security steps

Use strong usernames and passwords

If you can choose a username, avoid using personal information, including any variation of your email address. So, if your email is johnsmith@gmail.com, don’t set your username as johnsmith – even if it makes it easier to remember.

Passwords should be long and unique and should not contain any personal information or easily guessed details, such as a pet’s name. Consider using a password manager to create and securely store unique passwords.

Turn on alerts

Turning on alerts allows you to be one step ahead of fraud. Many financial apps offer online alerts for different types of account activities to help you stay on top of potentially fraudulent transactions or account changes.

Use online bill pay

If a physical check is stolen or lost, a fraudster could gain access to your sensitive information – including your name, address and bank account number. Using online bill payment services can limit this risk.

Go paperless

Similarly, your account statements can be lost or stolen, potentially exposing your personal information to fraudsters. Online statements accessed through your banking app or website can help reduce this risk.

Personal security steps

Freeze your credit

Freezing your credit is a proactive measure against identity theft. A credit freeze – also known as a security freeze – restricts access to your credit report, making it more difficult for identity thieves to open accounts in your name or abuse your credit.

To put a security freeze on your credit, as well as to protect the accounts of your family members, call or visit the websites below:

Secure your email

Compare your email providers against each other, and try to choose one that offers additional layers of protection – such as multifactor authentication – against cyberattacks.

Of course, history shows that even seemingly secure email providers aren’t completely immune to cyberattacks. So regardless of the provider you end up choosing, there’s some homework to be done on your end. Specifically, you should regularly clean up your mailbox. Delete emails containing personal information – such as photos of IDs or documents saved in your email inbox, sent and trash folders. Fraudsters often review the emails in your account to understand how you transact, communicate and conduct business months before they attempt to commit fraud.

Protect your phone number

Fraudsters may hijack phone numbers by tricking cell phone service providers into transferring (or porting) a victim’s phone number to a new device, or by hacking into an individual’s online account. When this happens, fraudsters can intercept calls and texts and use the number to reset passwords. They are also able to receive one-time verification codes sent to the mobile number by text, phone call or email. Equally concerning is the ease with which a phone number can be forwarded to another number.

To prevent this from happening to you, log in to your online account or call your service provider to freeze phone porting and call forwarding capabilities, and add a verbal password to your account for additional security.

Keep security software updated

Do your homework – not all software is created equal. You may want to consider software that includes multi-layered malware, spyware and adware protection. Some also offer firewall and spam filtering capabilities, as well as ransomware protection.

Share less online

Conduct an audit of your social media privacy settings and the information a person may have access to when viewing your accounts, as well as your children’s.

Avoid these missteps

Don’t assume messages are real

Be wary of impersonators. Fraudsters use social engineering techniques to deceive you into disclosing information or taking action on a financial account.

Don’t share personal information

Be mindful of the information you share with others, even in the normal course of business. Always try to verify in person, or through additional outreach, if the individuals contacting you are who they say they are.

Don’t reuse passwords

For instance, your email password shouldn’t be the same as your bank account password or your social media password. These days it seems like there is an infinite number of passwords to keep track of, so consider using a password management tool instead.

Avoid remote access scams

Even if they claim to be from your work, a reputable service or a technology provider, hang up, or disconnect, and independently verify if the request is legitimate and necessary.

Be careful on public Wi-Fi

If you absolutely have to, make sure to first set up a VPN. A VPN can encrypt the data you send and receive while using the public Wi-Fi, potentially protecting that information from other users of the same connection.

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