It’s no secret that the website designed to help Americans sign up for health insurance under the new Affordable Care Act has had technical issues. We’ve heard reports that scammers are taking advantage of the technical glitches to send out fake email messages or posts on social networking websites.
These scams, known as “phishing,” are designed to trick you into installing malicious software or to direct you to fraudulent websites, where you are asked to enter credit card and other personal or financial information.
To avoid getting tricked by these and other kinds of scams, or to minimize the damage they cause:
- Use a firewall.
- Update your software.
- Use antivirus and antispyware software.
- Learn to recognize phishing emails, links, or phone calls.
- Before entering any personal information on a website, make sure that the URL in the address bar starts with HTTPS (instead of HTTP) and includes the lock icon.
For more information, see Identity theft protection tools to help you avoid scams.