DENVER, CO—During Cybersecurity Awareness Month, observed each October, the FBI Denver Division reminds Colorado and Wyoming citizens to #BeCyberSmart all year long.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a government and private sector partnership that helps to bring greater cyber awareness stressing the collective effort required to stop cyber crimes, online thefts, and scams.

As the premier cyber investigative agency, the FBI works to keep citizens safe online. The FBI and its partner agencies work tirelessly to protect the American public from bad actors.

Understanding common online crimes will help prevent you, your family, or your business from falling victim to these criminals. During October, the FBI will highlight the following tips to help keep our citizens cyber safe:

Cyber Safety Tips

• Keep software systems up to date and use a good anti-virus program.
• Examine the email addresses and URLs in all correspondence. Scammers often mimic a legitimate site or email address by using a slight variation in spelling.
• Do not follow a link provided by an unknown person. Instead, go to the company’s website to log into your account or call the phone number listed on the official website to see if something does in fact need your attention.
• Do not open any attachments unless you are expecting the file, document, or invoice and have verified the sender’s email address.
• Scrutinize all electronic requests for a payment or transfer of funds.
• Be extra suspicious of any message that urges immediate action.

Each year the FBI launches the Safe Online Surfing campaign for kids grades 3 to 8, an online challenge and education course. For students in 9th grade and beyond, schools, teachers, and youth groups can request Safe Online Surfing presentations. FBI Denver is also proud to have offered several iterations of our new program, Cybersecurity Teen Bootcamp in Summer and Fall 2021. These programs can be requested at dn_outreach@fbi.gov.

If you do become a victim, contact us at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov) to report the online crime.

More information is available from the FBI and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.