Protect Yourself Against Cybercrime
The security of our client's accounts and assets is of paramount important to us.
Help protect yourself against cybercrime by:
- Restricting the amount of personal information posted online.
- Be suspicious of any unwanted or urgent requests for personal information or money, either by phone or email.
- Be suspicious of offers that are too good to be true.
- Never create accounts on websites under the instruction of someone else.
- Never give remote access to your personal computer.
- Research websites, such as for reviews or recommendations, before making any payment for online goods or services.
- Look out for poor spelling and grammar.
- Regularly review bank and credit card statements for unusual purchases.
- Double-check recipients of money or assets, before you send.
- Please be advised, BTC Markets will never offer any investment advice.
BTC Markets will never ask you for your password over the phone, and we will never call you requesting remote access to your computer, or make threats if requests aren’t actioned.
According to the Australian Cybercrime Security Centre, identity theft and online fraud are the two most common cybercrimes. These can take the form of:
- Brokers scams
- Education scams
- Celebrity endorsements
- Free giveaways/airdrops
- Automated trading bot scams
The following steps will greatly improve your cyber security.
Choose Strong Passwords. Keep Them Safe.
A strong password is key to a secure account. When creating a password, we recommend:
- Avoiding the use of personal information like names or addresses.
- Using a mixture of characters including letters (upper and lower case), numbers and symbols.
- Using a safe password generator.
- BTC Markets will never ask you for your password, be that over the phone, via email or in SMS.
Suspicious or Poorly Worded Emails (Phishing)
Cybercriminals use social engineering to gather confidential personal information. This is known as ‘phishing', a technique that is becoming highly sophisticated.
Be cautious of links or attachments in emails, text messages or social media posts from people you don’t know.
Delete any email or message that requests personal information, passwords or bank details.
Common traits of dodgy emails are:
- Misspelt words and bad grammar.
- Odd phrases.
- Website addresses with strange extensions.
- Celebrity endorsements.
Use Two-Factor Authentication
BTC Markets and many other websites support two-factor authentication (2FA).
2FA is a second layer of security around your account. First, submit your account password on our platform. You then request a code via the Google Authentication app on your mobile phone. You enter the code on our platform to finally access your account. If your password is compromised, this provides an additional security roadblock.
We highly recommend using 2FA where possible, including on email accounts.
Regularly Update Computer Software
Outdated software can leave your computer exposed to cybercrime. Regularly updating programs prevents criminals from taking advantage of potential system vulnerabilities.
Setting a reminder to update software can help maintain good security.
Watch out for Ransomware
Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts files stored on local and network drives. The data is held for ransom. Once paid, it may decrypt the data.
Ransomware is commonly spread by downloading and executing infected email attachments. Never open applications (such as .exe, .bat, .vbs files) that are attached to emails.
Regularly backing up your hard drives is a great way to protect your data.
Useful Links
Below are some useful resources about protecting yourself online:
If you or someone you know has been a victim of cybercrime, please help by reporting it to Australia Cyber Security Centre at https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/report.
For more information about any of the topics mentioned above, feel free to contact support.