Don’t use ‘Password123!’

Many people reuse the same username and password across e-mail, banking, shopping, and social media because it’s convenient. Scammers count on it. As such, don’t use the title of this column as your password.

At a minimum, make your e-mail password long and unique, and avoid reusing it anywhere. Email is the reset button for everything else, so treating it like a master key is essential in today’s fraud environment.

Fraud is constantly evolving. Intelligence shared by the largest brokers and cybersecurity experts suggests many recent attempts are not direct breaches of a custodian’s internal systems. Instead, criminals target “soft” endpoints: your phone, laptop, and especially your e-mail. They only need one weak link.