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Digital roadblocks -reducing the risk of getting scammed

Awareness is key - being knowledgable about how scammers work and what red flags to look for are certainly helpful if a scammer ever does end up in your text messages, emails, or on the phone.  But - better yet - why not put as many hurdles between you and the scammers as you can?  Below are some technology tips that are low-cost (some are free!), easy to implement, and take no or minimal ongoing effort on your part.

(None of the links below are affiliate links, for the record)

Use a private, malware-scrubbed DNS for all online and mobile communications

DNS stands for Domain Name Server.  It's basically a Yellow Pages or phone book for websites as it takes the domain name you type in and converts your website request (e.g. Apple.com) into an IP address that looks something like 168.192.1.1 and that is how the browser takes you where you want to go.

Most people just rely on the DNS that is baked in to their device or their internet provider (ISP), but there is no filter for malicious sites on the ISPs list.  However, there are other reliable options that you can use which limit what sites get listed in this "phonebook."  The most basic, no-frills options that are free and easy to use just have the same DNS list that your ISP has, but it takes out sites that are known to be malicious.  You could take it one step further and use a DNS that removes malware and adult-oriented sites.

Some of the most well-known of these providers are:

If you want a more customizable DNS solution, you can pay a small fee for much more granular control.  Two great sites for this are

Note that for a mobile device, each different network connection will carry its own DNS, so you either need to set it up for each network you connect to, or you could install Cloudflare WARP app , then go to the settings -> Advanced -> Connection options -> DNS settings -> 1.1.1.1 for Families -> Block malware  This is the only solution (other than possibly a few VPNs) I've found that carries the filtered DNS across all mobile and wi-fi networks you connect to.

Stop answering the phone if you don't know the caller

This one is pretty easy, and endorsed by none other than the FBI - if you get a call from a phone number you don't know, let it go to voice mail.  If it's important, you can call back.  Before answering machines and more modern devices, we got conditioned to answering the phone each time it rang.  But now with email, texts, and other ways to communciate, the phone is not as critical and timely as it once was.  If you feel you absolutely must answer the phone each time, you have several options:

  • If you're using a landline phone, buy one that either has a built-in spam blocker, or get one that only pre-programmed/known numbers will ring through. If you're already getting tons of solicitations ringing through, that second option might be just what you need.
  • If you use a mobile device, there are phone carriers and phone brands that have built in spam alerts.
  • If you use a mobile device that doesn't have built in spam-protection, try a service like Bitdefender Total Security that can help stop known offenders from reaching you.

Note that phone numbers can still be spoofed, so this is not foolproof, but it's something.

Use a password manager

I've talked about this before for other reasons, but here's how it can protect against scams.  Can you tell the difference between MICROSOFT and MlCROSOFT?  It's hard, almost impossible.  But the first one is all caps, the second one has a lower case "L" in the second position.  This is called URL hijacking and is used by scammers to try and steal credentials.  If you get an email to the "bad" Microsoft link, your eyes may not be able to tell it's invalid, but a password manager can.  If it's not the real domain name, your credentials won't get filled in.  If you are a "paper person", you could very easily be conned into typing your credentials into this bad website.

Some of the password managers with excellent reputations are:

Using a browser-based or platform-specific manager?  Not recommended.  For a review and ranking of lots of password managers, check out Techlore's video

Use a separate email account for only your sensitive and critical emails

Yes, you've heard this from me before.  But for those that haven't made this switch yet, think about this.  Your "primary" email address that you use for shopping, newsletters, communications with family and friends - it's EVERYWHERE.  It's on all the databroker sites, it's in the dark web, it's all over and it's spreading.  Any malicious actor can pay a few cents and get your name, age, address, email, and other information about you, and try and lure you into a scam.  Often, this comes in the form of an email from your "bank."  A spoofed email that looks really official, tempting you to a hijacked URL to give up your login information and get them into your account.  But if you know that your bank only has your critical email address, not your "primary" one, then you know that any email sent to the wrong address is a huge red flag and you can act appropriately and accordingly.  This is just one benefit on top of encryption, privacy, and other reasons even the FBI says this is something you should be doing.  Here are some top providers of encrypted email:

VPNs don't necessarily imply security

There are a few VPNs I've heard of that take the DNS security I mentioned above into their service,but for the most part VPNs don't offer any security against scams other than that. On the contrary, if you're using a random free VPN that you downloaded from your app store, you could be feeding a scammer a lot more information than you think you are. For me, a VPN isn't really a helpful security tool for a great many of the people out there.  But if you ARE using a VPN, make sure it's vetted and has a good reputation in the online security community.  For a quicktake from Techlore, check out this video

So what do I use?

I practice what I preach, and use all of the services and practices listed above, and it works well for our family.  Specifically, here's what I use and whether I'm getting the free or paid service of each:

  • Proton Mail - free tier
  • Proton Pass - Pass Family Plus tier (4 family members, including 2 teenagers) (I LOVE the email aliases in the plus tier!)
  • Bitdefender Total Security family (paid plan) - installed on all phones, computers and tablets
  • Adguard DNS (paid) which lets me filter out certain content on the kids' devices, but also helps me out because it blocks a TON of ads (works amazing paired with Brave browser!).  If I didn't have the kids I'd probably use Quad9.
  • VPN - none

Hopefully you take a little time to implement one, some or all of these barriers between you and the scammer.  None of them are particularly hard to implement, most are even free if you don't want or need the upgraded tiers.  No harm done in give them a try!  Ask me if you have any questions.

-Charles