10/22/2026
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which is a great time to strengthen your online accounts. Here are a few easy steps:
Scammers want you to act before you have time to think. Before clicking a link in an email or text, stop and look closely. Is the message unexpected? Does the website address look legitimate? Is someone pressuring you to act immediately? When in doubt, go directly to the company’s official website or contact them using a trusted phone number—not the information provided in the suspicious message.
Make your passwords longer. A long, unique passphrase can be harder for cybercriminals to crack than a short password packed with special characters. Choose something memorable but difficult for others to guess—and never reuse passwords across multiple accounts.
The latest utility impersonation scams are increasingly convincing. A scammer may claim your utility is going to disconnect your service and then demand immediate payment through an unusual method. If you ever receive an unexpected payment request, pause and verify it. Contact your utility at the phone number listed on your bill to verify.
