TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – During National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis is encouraging Floridians to 'Be Cyber Smart' and understand the role each Floridian plays in online safety. The CFO also stresses the importance of taking proactive steps to safeguard your personal identity.

CFO Jimmy Patronis said, "These days new fraud and scam tactics are everywhere, and our ever increasing digital lives make anyone vulnerable. I encourage all individuals and businesses to 'Be Cyber Smart' and learn important steps you can take right now to protect your identity online and ensure your technology doesn't open you up to scams. By learning to safely manage your digital security, you can safeguard your identity and financial future."

4 Tips to Protect Your Identity Online

1. Don’t rush to act. Phishing emails often create a false sense of urgency and insist you act immediately on the request. This should always be a red flag. Suspicious emails sometimes appear to be sent from someone you know, so contact that person directly to verify it’s really from them—frequently it’s not.
2. Always be cautious of hyperlinks. Avoid clicking on hyperlinks in emails and hover over links to verify authenticity. Also ensure that URLs begin with “https.” The “s” indicates encryption is enabled to protect users’ information.
3. Guard your personal details on social media. Cyber criminals can piece together important personal information from your social media accounts to make phishing emails more realistic and specific. Just because you receive an email containing details about you, such as your full name, job title, and address, that does not mean it’s coming from a legitimate source.
4. Try two-factor authentication. Help protect your accounts even if your passwords are hacked by using a two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication requires a password and another type of information to log in to your account, usually a code sent to you via text message.