TEETH SCRAPED THE CHILD'S
FOREHEAD.
THE DOG AND ITS OWNER WERE
REMOVED FROM THE FLIGHT.
THE INTERNET MAKES OUR
WORLD EXCITING AND CONVENIENT
ALL AT THE SAME TIME BUT THERE
IS A GREAT RISK THERE AND IT
CAN BE SCARY BECAUSE EVERY
SECOND OF THE DAY HACKERS ARE
PHISHING FOR YOUR PERSONAL AND
FINANCIAL DATA.
RAN SOME WARE -- RANSOM WARE
IS REAL.
CHIP OSOWSKI IS HERE TO TALK
ABOUT IT.
AND POLICE KNOW THE CROOKS ARE
OUT THERE.
BUT CATCHING THEM IS THE
REAL PROBLEM.
EVEN IF THEY ARE CAUGHT, IT
COULD BE -- THEY COULD BE
ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
SO GETTING THE HACKERS BACK
HERE TO ANSWER FOR THEIR
ACTIONS IS VERY RARE.
Reporter: NO MATTER WHO YOU
ARE TALKING TO OR WHAT WEBSITE
YOU ARE ON, YOU ARE A TARGET.
CYBER THIEVES ARE LOOKING FOR
YOU TO MAKE THAT ONE MISTAKE
THAT COULD MAKE THEM MONEY.
LOCKING UP YOUR FILES UNTIL
YOU PAY A FEE IS NOT UNCOMMON.
THIS MAN RECEIVED SEVERAL E-
MAILS THAT SPELLED BAD NEWS.
THEY JUST KEEP POUNDING ME,
HOPING THAT I WOULD MAKE A
MISTAKE AND CLICK.
Reporter: ONE MIGHT THINK
HE WOULD BE AN UNLIKELY MARK
AS DIRECTOR OF THE FLORIDA
CENTER FOR CYBERSECURITY.
HE SAYS ANYONE CAN BE A VICTIM
AND E-MAILS FROM UNKNOWN
SENDERS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED
THE ENEMY.
IT'S GARBAGE.
IT'S TEMPTING YOU TO CLICK ON
THAT LINK.
THEY WILL IMMEDIATELY DOWNLOAD
BAD MALWARE INTO YOUR SYSTEMS.
ONCE IT'S DOWNLOADED IT TAKES
CONTROL.
IT MAKES YOU FEEL SOMEWHAT
VIOLATED LIKE SOMEBODY SNUCK
INTO YOUR HOUSE OR YOUR
BUSINESS, AND THEY TOOK
SOMETHING THAT BELONGED TO
YOU.
Reporter: JAMES IS
PRESIDENT OF LED TAMPA.
HE GOT NAILED.
THE HACKERS WANTED $500 TO
RETURN HIS FILES.
HE FELT HE HAD NO CHOICE.
$500 WE FELT WAS FAR LESS
EXPENSIVE THAN THE
INCONVENIENCE OF LOSING YOUR
DATA.
AND HERE'S THE REAL DING
PANTS.
THESE CROOKS HARDLY EVER GET
CAUGHT.
HIDING BEHIND MILES OF WIRE,
SATELLITES, AND PHONY IP
ADDRESSES.
IN LAYMAN'S TERMS, THEY CAN
CHANGE THEIR IDENTITY FASTER
THAN YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR
SONGS.
MOST CASES ARE SIMPLY
FORWARDED TO THE FEDS.
FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM
BONDI SAYS IN SOME CASES
VICTIMS DON'T EVEN REALIZED
THEY HAVE BEEN HAD.
IF PEOPLE END UP EVEN
THINKING THE SCAMMERS ON THE
PHONE, THINKING THAT THEY'RE
HELPING THEM CORRECT WISHES
THEIR COMPUTER WHEN, IN FACT,
THEY HAVE MALWARE, THEY'RE
GETTING INTO YOUR ENTIRE
SYSTEM, STEALING YOUR BANK
ACCOUNT INFORMATION, PRETTY
MUCH YOUR IDENTITY.
SHE HAS A BIT OF ADVICE FOR
ALL OF US.
IF YOU GET A POP-UP AD ON
YOUR SCREEN, MY ADVICE IS TO
SHUT IT.
THINK OF YOUR COMPUTER LIKE
A SAFE, PROTECTING ALL OF YOUR
VALUABLE INFORMATION, AND THE
CROOKS WANT IT.
IF YOU LOCK UP YOUR SAFE,
YOU'RE LESS LIKELY TO GET
ROBBED OF THAT INFORMATION.
BUT DON'T GET TOO COMFORTABLE.
BECAUSE CYBER CROOKS WILL
EVOLVE, AND IT SEEMS THEY
ALWAYS FIND A WAY TO MAKE US
PAY.
AND A COUPLE OF OTHER
HELPFUL TIPS.
BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER FILES ON
A REGULAR BASIS.
IF YOU OWN A BUSINESS YOU
SHOULD DO IT AT LEAST ONCE A
DAY.
THAT WAY IF AN EMPLOYEE
ACCIDENTALLY CLICKS ON
SOMETHING HE OR SHE SHE
SHOULDN'T HAVE AND YOUR SYSTEM
BECOMES HACKED, YOU CAN WIPE
IT CLEAN AND RELOAD YOUR
UNCORRUPTED FILES.
IT'S FRIGHTENING TO THINK
THAT PEOPLE CAN GET YOUR
INFORMATION SO EASILY.
BUT WE'RE ALWAYS BEING TOLD,
CHANGE THE PASSWORD, CHANGE
THE PASSWORD DOES.
THAT WORK?
IT CLEARLY DOES.
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE USE PASSWORDS
LIKE 12346 AND "PASSWORD" AS
THEIR PASSWORD.
DON'T DO IT.
THE BOTTOM LINE, DON'T MAKE IT
ANY EASIER FOR THE HACKERS TO
GET YOUR VALUABLE INFORMATION.
USE LETTERS AND NUMBERS AND
ALL OF THAT KIND OF THING.
MIX IT UP.