There are many things you can do to help protect yourself from fraud and keep your accounts and devices safe. A good place to start is with our top five security tips.

Top 5 Tips

Always think, "This could happen to me."

Thinking this way will make you less likely to fall for attacks. You will help protect your information, keep security measures in place and discover issues faster by keeping an eye on your accounts.

2

Be aware.

Be aware of people manipulating you for your information, sometimes called "social engineering." When a stranger calls or emails, you should treat him or her like a stranger.

  • Only share information over the phone if you made the call to a number you know is right. Calls from numbers that look legitimate may be bad guys "spoofing" the incoming number to fool you.
  • Use caution when sharing or verifying information.
  • Only share your email address with people you know, and when you know how they will use it.
  • Question or ignore people contacting you with wild offers or promises, like free money, in exchange for your information.

3

Know BEFORE you open.

Only open email and text messages from someone you know. Only open an attachment or click a link if you know and trust the sender, and you understand what the message is about.

  • Read carefully to make sure you know the sender.
  • Question or ignore any message asking for personal or financial information (AT&T will never do this through email or text).
  • Do not provide your username or password through an email or text in response to an unsolicited email or text.

3

Strengthen your own security.

Be tough.

  • Keep security software up to date.
  • Keep all computers, laptops, tablets and mobile phones up to date with the latest operating system updates.
  • Know the new guidelines for increasing password security:
    • Create unique passwords using a combination of random words or phrases, preferably longer.
    • Do more than simply change the number at the end of an existing password.
    • Avoid using nicknames, birthdays or other information people may know or is readily available, like information on your personal social media site.
  • Use security questions with trick answers.
  • Use multiple authentication where available to add a layer of security to your account. 
  • Don't share your log-in credentials with anyone - not even friends and family members. Each time you share your ID and password combination, it potentially weakens your security.

3

Check it out.

Be tough.

Be your own private investigator.  

  • Look for security indicators on the website. These include an "s" after the http in a website address, and a lock icon at the bottom of the screen.
  • If asked to fill out a form or share information, go directly to the company's secure website to submit the information. Don't fill out forms attached to emails or click on links in an unsolicited text message.
  • Monitor your bank and credit card statements for suspicious charges or transfers.

 

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Additional Security Tips

For increased security, add a passcode to your accounts that do not already have one and change any default passcodes to strengthen them. You can easily do this through your AT&T account management page or by contacting the customer service number on your bill.
Change "default" passwords on equipment and devices. Scammers know default passwords and leaving it unchanged leaves you open to hackers.
Only share information over the phone if you made the call to a number you know is right.
Ignore phone calls from numbers you do not recognize.
If you get a call and later realize it may not have been legitimate, contact the government agency or company to verify. Call the entity's phone number found from a trusted source.
Only provide remote access to your computer when you have initiated the service call and know the company is legitimate.
Create multiple passwords to use on different websites.

 

Reporting Fraud

Fraudsters can try to take advantage of you by phone, email, text or social media. If you think a caller is trying to scam you, hang up. If you receive a suspicious text message, forward it to us. Get step-by-step instruction to report unwanted text messages by following the link. If you suspect you are a target of fraud on your AT&T mobile phone account, you can report it to our Fraud team here. If you suspect fraud on another account, call the customer service number on your bill for help.

You may also report suspicious activity to the FTC and Anti-phishing working group.

To find out more about reporting fraud, check out our Resources page.

 

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