Although the risks of cybercrime are increasing, some Atlanta business owners and Georgia State feel like cybercrime can be avoided if they take precautions.
“I do not believe that cybercrime is something my business needs to be afraid of,” said Ronald Montrel, owner of The Food Shoppe.
In 2012, Atlanta was ranked the fourth “riskiest online city” by Norton and Sperling’s BestPlaces; and In 2013, a report from the Identity Theft Resource Center said that the rate of cybercrime was up 30 percent from the previous year and 300 percent from 2005.
Montrel is not concerned about cybercrime because he takes certain steps in order to protect his business, including keeping his business and personal banking accounts separate.
Norton by Symantec released a set of ways individuals and businesses can protect themselves from the risks of cybercrime.
“Cybercrime prevention can be straightforward. When you’re armed with a little technical advice and common sense, you can avoid many attacks. Remember that online criminals are trying to make their money as quickly and easily as possible,” the Norton website said.
In order to prevent criminals from accessing money and information, Norton advised avoiding and staying away from extreme online deals, changing passwords regularly and ensuring computers are secure.
Some Georgia State students also acknowledge cybercrime while implementing some of Norton’s steps to protect themselves.
“I’m actually not consciously cautious [about cybercrime] but I think growing up, society always freaked out about it so it’s more a second nature to post things that don’t reveal too much information,” Jake Durham, a managerial science major, said.
As Durham regulates the information that he puts online, he is following Norton’s step to shield personal information.
“Exercise caution when sharing personal information such as your name, home address, phone number and email address online,” the Norton website says.
Gene Hunter, a sophomore journalism major, said although she does not think cybercrime is common, she does exercise thoughtfulness when purchasing items online during the holiday season.
“I guess when I think of cybercrime I think of the ‘sign up and start making money now’ scams. During the holiday seasons when people are subject to commit crimes, I am more skeptical when making transactions because of the high fraud alerts,” Hunter said.
Norton emphasizes avoiding offers that look too good to be true and to ask someone else’s opinion if unsure of an offer’s validity.
