Your password should be long: The golden rule now is that a password should be 12 characters and contain a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. [1] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Don’t forget to password-protect your phone or tablet: Even if it makes it take a little longer to access your home screen, always password-protect your mobile devices. If someone else gains access to your unlocked phone or tablet, they’ll have access to all of your apps, including your email.
Since there are so many passwords to remember nowadays, you may want to try using a password manager. Avoid choosing the option to save your passwords on the web. If you save your password to make it easier to log in, anyone using your computer may access your email. This is especially important when you’re using a public computer.
Also, be careful when installing free software—sometimes software comes with sketchy malware. Research apps before you install them. If you’re using Gmail, you should frequently check which apps you’ve allowed access to your account or perform a Security Check. If you’re using Outlook, you can check your account history to make sure nothing you haven’t approved has happened.
If an email asks you to log in to update information or correct a billing error, open a web browser window, go to the address of the website directly, and log in that way to see if anything needs to be changed.
If you’re using Gmail or Outlook, you’ll see a red or yellow message at the top of the email, warning you that the email might be spam or a phishing scam. [4] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Check the return email address—is the person claiming to represent a certain company but using a free email account? Check the domain name (the part that comes after the @ sign) in the email address—is that actually the company’s domain name? Sometimes scammers register fake domain names that look like the real thing to bait victims. For example, you could get an email from @netfl1x. com instead of the actual site, @netflix. com. Does the message contain an offer that’s too good to be true, or a claim that you’ve won a contest you never actually entered? Are you being asked to wire money to someone you don’t know? These are all signs of scams. When in doubt, if a scammer claims to be affiliated with a company, contact the company or service directly by phone or on their website. If there’s a phone number in the email, don’t call it—instead, go directly to the company’s official website and locate the phone number there. Sometimes scammers include fake contact information.
If the questions provided are pretty simple, you may want to enter something that isn’t the actual answer to the question—such as “Flamingo” as your mother’s maiden name. Just make sure not to forget what you enter!
