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Top 5 Ways for Real Estate Agents to Protect Their Data and Personal Privacy
As a real estate professional, your data and personal privacy are crucial for your reputation to earn client trust. Unfortunately, hackers and cybercriminals are always looking for vulnerabilities to exploit, making protecting your data and personal privacy from threats vital. Technology advances can help you safeguard your privacy. For example, password managers like LastPass or Dashlane can help you create and store strong, unique passwords for all your accounts. In addition, antivirus software like Norton or McAfee helps protect your devices from malware and other cyber threats. For more tech-savvy agents, a Virtual Private Network or VPN can give you an extra layer of protection by encrypting your internet connection and keeping your online activities away from prying eyes. Also, adding a privacy-focused browser extension to Google Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge, like HTTPS Everywhere, Privacy Badger, or uBlock Origin, can increase your browser's security. But agents also need to remember that almost all email is not encrypted unless you use an encrypted program like ProtonMail. This is where email best practices help protect agents: never share confidential or financial information via email, such as passwords or credit card numbers. Here are five specific ways you can safeguard your data and personal privacy, from safe browsing habits to securing your devices and accounts: 1. Safe Browsing Habits Like email, one of the simplest ways to protect your privacy is by practicing safe browsing habits. Here are a few tips: Always keep your browser updated by changing your setting to auto-update. Use a reliable ad-blocker to minimize the risk of malicious ads. Be extra cautious when clicking on any link or downloading files, especially from unknown sources or unsolicited emails. Use a secure browser, like Google Chrome, Safari, or Edge, and enable their privacy settings to block third-party cookies and trackers. 2. Protecting Files Online and on Your Computer Securing online and offline files is essential to protect sensitive data for you and your clients. Here are some tips: Use cloud-based storage services, such as Google Drive or Dropbox, as they offer encryption and multi-factor authentication. Always back up your data on external storage devices and/or secure cloud services. Regularly update your operating system and software to patch security vulnerabilities. 3. Securing Your Devices and Keep Your Online Accounts Safe Your smartphone, tablet, and laptop can be treasure troves of sensitive information. Keep them secure by following these best practices: Set strong, unique passwords for all your devices and change them periodically. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on devices that support it. Regularly update your operating systems and security software on all your devices. Install reputable antivirus software and keep it updated. Use device encryption to protect stored data if your device is lost or stolen. Be cautious when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks. Use a VPN to ensure a secure connection. Regularly review the privacy settings of your online accounts and limit the publicly visible information. 4. Conduct a Security Audit Conducting regular security audits helps you identify and address potential vulnerabilities. Here's how to perform one: Review your online accounts and delete any unused or outdated accounts. Analyze your passwords and update weak or duplicate ones. Check for software and operating system updates and install them promptly. Carefully review your device and app permissions, ensuring that you're only granting access to trusted sources. Evaluate the security of your home and office network and consider implementing a firewall or other security measures. 5. Educate Yourself and Your Clients Cybersecurity threats continually evolve, so staying informed is crucial in maintaining privacy. There's also an opportunity to share your best practices with your clients. Here's how to stay ahead of the curve: Follow reputable sources, such as KrebsOnSecurity or the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), to stay up-to-date on the latest threats and trends. Create a Google Alert called "computer viruses" or "malicious malware" to track the latest threats making news. Encourage your clients to adopt secure communication methods when working with you. Reach out to Tech Helpline whenever you have a question about security or privacy, as a tech analyst can walk you through the steps you need to take. As a real estate agent, protecting your data and personal privacy is paramount to maintaining trust with your clients and safeguarding your reputation. Incorporating these strategies into your work routine will further bolster your defense against privacy threats and ensure that your data remains safe and secure. Remember, it's essential to remain vigilant and proactive in protecting your privacy and your client's sensitive information. And if you are one of the 750,000 real estate agents with access to Tech Helpline, never hesitate to ask for assistance! Tricia Stamper is Director of Technology at Florida Realtors®, which owns and operates Tech Helpline and Form

4 Things Real Estate Agents Need to Know About Facial Recognition
Facial recognition technology, or FRT, is a type of biometric security based on a person's physical characteristics that act like a fingerprint or password alternative. Today, the most known use is on smartphones to unlock screens or "sign into" our favorite apps. However, FRT is becoming commonplace, from the U.S. government using it to speed travelers through customs to law enforcement agencies using it to identify nefarious criminals. And real estate agents can expect to encounter more uses of facial recognition technology that will impact their business or clients. Among the uses of FRT that are already in place and expected to increase within the next few years is providing access into buildings, ATM transactions (no more plastic cards and passwords), and airport security clearance (i.e., Clear). Newer uses include targeted advertising: if you don't buy those Jimmy Choo shoes you were looking at in a store, ads will follow you online. Can you imagine if open house attendees had the same experience – visiting your listing and seeing ads for it when they go online? Retailers could use FRT for purchases, directly charging your account without you ever opening your wallet or purse. Already, Pepper, a Softbank humanoid robot, uses FRT to help assess a person's emotional state to provide an empathetic engagement. If you think the growing use of FRT is a little creepy or too "Big Brother," you are not alone. Many technology experts warn that facial recognition is one of the biggest threats to personal privacy. The pros: FRT can be an effective tool for catching criminals and making sure we are who we say we are. The cons: FRT invades our privacy, can be unreliable and biased — and, at worst, result in wrongful arrests. Many U.S. cities are banning the widespread use of facial recognition. For example, in 2019, California banned police from using facial recognition on bodycams. However, that ban is set to expire. And with the crime rate rising, civil liberty groups are having a more challenging time lobbying for outright bans. As it becomes more commonplace, here are four things real estate agents need to know about facial recognition technology: FRT doesn't always work New research from MIT suggests that while the new software is getting more accurate, it doesn't always correctly recognize women and people of color. The study, by Joy Buolamwini of the MIT Media Lab, found that FRT is correct 99 percent of the time when detecting white males. However, less than half are as accurate when identifying darker-skinned females. What people don't realize, Buolamwini points out, is that when FRT first reported an accuracy rate of over 97 percent in 2014, the data set was 77 percent male and 83 percent white. As a result, FRT still needs more accuracy improvements. Police agencies report that facial recognition software is often ineffective, with lower-quality images captured by most video recording systems. For example, a detective from Aberdeen, NC, told BanFacialRecognition.com that FRT software "worked with good quality images taken directly from Facebook." But he found "that unless the image quality was great (unlike 90% of video surveillance we obtain), results came back inconclusive." Yet about one in six police agencies – more than 3,000 – use Clearview AI and its facial recognition software, according to The Washington Post. FRT can prevent fraud Facial recognition helps prevents fraud by verifying that a given person is who they claim to be, particularly when trying to access a system, transfer funds, or make a purchase. Verification company ID.me provides FRT to federal agencies and in 30 states. A growing use is verifying people filing unemployment insurance claims. For Realtors, safety software Real Safe offers a feature that uses a driver's license and a selfie to verify a person's identity before the agent schedules a home showing. As a result, agents can finally know with greater certainty someone is who they say they are. FRT can help prevent identity theft FRT can stop cybercriminals in their tracks. Identity theft is the No. 1 type of fraud reported to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission last year, with more than 1.4 million complaints. Almost one in four fraud complaints is for identity theft. Cybercriminals must accumulate personal information to impersonate their victim. Online, it can be easy for them to access a person's private information — a growing trend to protect consumer accounts from identity theft is using FRT. Like a safe, passwords can be cracked, but copying another person's facial patterns is a different story. It is why biometrics is gaining traction in almost every industry. For example, someone with your ATM card and PIN can drain money from your bank account. But if an ATM uses facial recognition, the card and the PIN are worthless. Can you imagine what would happen if everyone accessing a financial account had to take a live selfie for online access? Then we would be able to reduce cybercriminal activity significantly. FRT faces privacy issues The flipside of FRT's rapid growth and innovative use is personal privacy. While FRT can help law enforcement catch criminals and lock them up faster, the trade-off is the potential infringement of individual rights. Often people don't know where, when, and how FRT is being used until it is abused. The movement of marrying artificial intelligence with facial recognition software has become so controversial that Microsoft announced it is ending FRT AI tools because of the potential for abuse, including racial profiling. FRT can violate your personal privacy because it does not have your consent. For example, using FRT for surveillance can track people as they move around a neighborhood or city. But who has access to that information? And what is its use? The U.S. is not alone in the privacy challenges that FRT is raising. The UK's ITPRO reports that there is "greater scrutiny of law enforcement's use of facial recognition." Providers like Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM are halting the development and sale of facial recognition technology for law enforcement. And the UK courts have ruled it unlawful. Friend or foe? As you can see, the pros and cons of facial recognition technology are striking, with both sides offering compelling arguments for and against using FRT. One area emerging, as a result, is regulation. Like many new tech innovations, they are often introduced well before regulations are in place to address their potential negative impacts. The same is true with FRT. Now, U.S. Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), and Yvette Clarke (D-Mass.) have introduced The Facial Recognition Act. As reported by Lawfare, the new bill would put new limits on law enforcement FRT for surveillance. In addition, the legislation addresses the risks of FRT when it doesn't work well, including wrongful arrests and algorithmic bias. The best thing real estate agents can do – as new technology emerges – is to stay informed. To view the original article, visit the Tech Helpline

Don't Fall for It: 4 New Online and Offline Scams and How to Protect Yourself
Scammers are becoming increasingly crafty in robbing people of their money or personal information. In the past year alone, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center has received over 800,000 reports of online mischief, causing over $6.9 billion in estimated losses. As we near the holiday season, the number of scams often increase. Even when you are extra cautious to remain safe online, you may not be able to spot when you are being scammed. And while we've written about this topic before here, here and here, with the internet and mobile apps constantly evolving and changing, online scammers are developing new methods to con people. So perhaps the most important thing we can advocate is learning to sense when something seems suspicious. Here are four new online – and offline – scams becoming common today and what you can do to protect yourself: Zelle + Venmo Scams Peer-to-peer payment apps such as Zelle and Venmo have become increasingly popular as it gives you the ability and convenience to transfer money electronically to someone instantly. In 2021 alone, Zelle users sent almost a half-billion dollars in payments, totaling nearly 1.8 billion transactions. But recently, scammers are taking advantage of how these apps work – and the rules surrounding them – to rob people. Through social engineering, they utilize fraudulent info and scare tactics to trick you into authorizing money transfers to them. A common ploy: You get a text to your phone marked "Fraud Alert," indicating it is coming from your bank, asking, "Did you attempt a Zelle payment of $5,000? Reply YES or NO." If you respond in any way, you will immediately receive a phone call from the scammer pretending to be from your bank's fraud department. Scammers can even make it look like it is coming from a legitimate number at your bank. The scammer then asks you to verify your identity with "just your username" – insisting they never would ask for your password over the phone to appear legitimate. The scammer then asks you to read back a passcode they sent via text or email. What you may not realize is that once the fraudster gets your username, they initiate a "forgot password" request on your banking site: that generates the authentication passcode you receive. Once the scammer has the passcode you gave them, they hijack your Zelle account and transfer funds. If this happens to you, what do you do? First, ignore the text, look up your bank's fraud department phone number online (or on the back of your ATM card), and call your bank directly to verify that the request is authentic. The biggest rule of thumb: Never text back on a request related to Zelle. Why? Most people don't realize that these direct payment apps do not protect an "authorized fund transfer," so it's nearly impossible to get your money back once it is sent. The scams currently being used are considered authorized transfers because the victim gives the scammer information they seek or takes the action they ask to be performed. Despite Zelle being owned by seven major banks – Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, PNC Bank, U.S. Bank, Capital One, and Truist ­– if you knowingly send cash to someone, Zelle maintains the transfer is an authorized transfer under the law. Even when the payment is made under false pretenses or misrepresentation, it is not covered by the Electronic Fund Transfer Act of 1978, so you are out of luck, and there are no protections in place to help you get your money back. Finally, whenever using Zelle or Venmo, the most important rule is to triple-check your accuracy. Make sure to carefully proofread – at least three times – the recipient's mobile phone number or email address before hitting send. Because if you make an error, Zelle and the bank that offers it say it's your mistake, not theirs. Google Voice Scam Google Voice is a virtual phone app that provides a free phone number that you link to your Google account. Once set up, it allows you to automatically send text messages or make mobile calls from your PC or mobile phone. Google Voice phone numbers work like any other mobile phone, allowing you to take and receive calls. Unfortunately, scammers are using Google Voice in nefarious ways. Because Google Voice numbers are both free and untraceable, scammers love them. One common con today is when a scammer links their Google Voice number to your phone number. Scammers will search online selling sites such as Facebook Marketplace. They will pretend to be buyers and text the seller's mobile phone number on the listing, expressing interest. However, the scammer will text the seller, "Please send the Google Voice verification code I just sent to verify that you're a real person." Once the scammer tricks the seller and gets the code, they can use the Google Voice number tied to the seller's Google account to scam others. How can you protect yourself? Never share a Google Voice verification code — if you are asked, it is likely a scam. Amazon Scams According to research by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), Amazon is reported to be the most impersonated business, with one in three scammers claiming to work for the company. As Amazon is a widely used service, it makes it easy for phishers to send messages or emails under their branding. Frequently, a scammer will call, text, or email you about suspicious activity on your Amazon account. After they confirm they "stopped the fraudulent purchase," they will offer a "credit" to your account for your inconvenience. They will then ask you for your password to finalize the credit. But instead, the Amazon impersonators will use it to cheat you out of cash and purchases. To avoid being conned, realize that it is unlikely Amazon will call you. If they do, an Amazon employee never will ask for your password. Or, if you get an email that appears to be from Amazon, look carefully at the full sender address (it should be an Amazon email address) and the actual URL in the email by right-clicking on the link. As Amazon warns its customers, "Legitimate Amazon websites have a dot before 'amazon.com' such as http://something.amazon.com. For example, Amazon Pay website is https://pay.amazon.com/. We'll never send emails with links to an IP address (a string of numbers), such as http://123.456.789.123/amazon.com/. If the link takes you to a site that is not a legitimate Amazon domain, then it is likely phishing." Bogus Tech Support Even today, tech support scams are still alive and kicking. Some scammers will impersonate a technical support worker and manipulate you into paying for services you don't need. Others will offer to install a malware protection program or "clean" your computer from viruses, only to install fraudulent software that gives a scammer access to your computer. Anyone who calls you unprompted to offer tech support should raise a major red flag. If someone offers you free tech support and then asks you for permission to access your computer remotely, hang up. How to protect yourself from Tech Support scammers: Tell them you have all the technical support you need, disconnect the call, and block their number. While the holidays can bring out the scammers, they are also a time when you may need help setting up new tech you've acquired or received as a gift. If you have questions about how to connect a new printer, set up email on a new phone, or troubleshoot something else, remember that Tech Helpline – your legitimate member benefit — is ready to help and only a click, call, or text away. To view the original article, visit the Tech Helpline