Gmail and Facebook users warned to ‘secure accounts’ as Brits stand to lose £1.3m

Tech & Gadgets

An eye-watering £1.3 million has fallen into the hands of hackers who have broken into social media and email accounts, new data shows.

Action Fraud has revealed that last year more than 22,500 people had their accounts compromised and lost cash as a result.

According to Action Fraud, one of the best ways to avoid becoming a victim is to use strong and different passcodes for your email and social media accounts

The findings have renewed efforts to ensure people are safe on popular platforms like Gmail and Facebook, from being able to spot the signs of phishing to having a secure password.

“Anyone with a social media or email account could be a target for fraudsters or cyber attacks,” Pauline Smith, head of Action Fraud, said in a statement.

“It’s important to take action to secure your accounts as technology fraud becomes even harder to detect on a global scale.”

Protect your accounts

According to Action Fraud, hackers used three separate methods to take control of accounts: on-platform chain hacking, leaked passwords and phishing.

In platform chain hacking, a cybercriminal gains control of one account and begins posing as the legitimate owner to hack into other accounts.

E-mail addresses and passwords regularly leak during data breaches.

Fortunately, there are several ways to check if a password has been compromised.

Not only can your iPhone tell you, but Google recently added a new password security alert that highlights compromised, weak, and reused passwords.

There are also subtle clues that you’re about to be the target of a phishing scam that Internet users should learn from, such as spelling mistakes, false urgency, and asking too many questions.

According to Action Fraud, one of the best ways to avoid becoming a victim is to use strong and different passcodes for your email and social media accounts.

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Passwords: best practice

A strong password ensures a secure account.

The first tip is to make sure you have a different password for each of your accounts.

A random password of 20 characters with upper and lower case letters, symbols and numbers is the most secure you can get.

While this can be a nightmare to remember, people should avoid saving their passcodes in their browser.

Instead, it’s important to use a trusted password manager, such as those from Google, which can track and encrypt all your passwords.

Another good security measure is to enable two-step verification for your email and social media accounts.

Today, every platform offers users two-step verification, which means users must prove their identity before logging into an account.

“Protect your information by making sure your email and social media passwords are secure and different from all your other passwords,” Smith said.

“You can also set up two-step verification for an extra layer of security. Remember, to prevent fraud and hacking, never share your password or two-step verification code with anyone.”