Change your passwords.
That’s the message from the Better Business Bureau serving Mainland BC as it announced the fourth-annual National Password Day for this Friday, March 15.
This Friday, BBB wants people to change the passwords for the top-three accounts they would not want to get hacked.
The initiative is part of National Fraud Prevention Month and BBB’s Top 10 Scams campaign.
“Passwords are such an integral part of our digital lives, as we use them to help secure important personal and financial information,” said Karla Davis, manager of Community and Public Relations for BBB serving Mainland BC, in a news release. “However, with 73% of users repeating the same password for multiple online accounts and the majority not creating strong passwords at all, there are millions of people whose confidential information is one hacker away from being compromised, placing them at risk of falling victim to identity theft.”
A study in the UK found that the average person has around 118 accounts, with the most common ones being activated on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, said a news release. More than 90% of consumers are now shopping online, which means many people also have accounts for Amazon, Ebay and other retail stores, as well as for bank accounts and bill payment portals.
Quick Tips to Create a Strong Password
- Use between 8 - 13 characters
- Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols
- Use song lyrics, words in another language or unusual movie titles
- Avoid words found in the dictionary
- Avoid using family and pet names
- Avoid using birth dates
- Avoid adding a number or letter to the last password you had. Create something new.
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