DAYTON, Ohio – Here are some of my most important tech tips and tricks I’ve gathered over the years:
1. Don’t fall for phone or computer scams. There are endless scams and scammers out there, and falling victim usually costs you a few hundred dollars. But it could cost you even more if your identity is compromised. Just remember, if the situation doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t.
If you get a phone call out of the blue saying something is wrong with your computer or internet, or if your computer says to call someone, just ignore it and find a local reputable computer professional to get advice. Don’t trust anyone to remotely fix your computer unless you know you’re talking to someone from a local reputable company
2. Get extra protection. Antivirus is a must-have for most computer users and is built into Windows 10, but most antiviruses don’t stop adware and other junk. These might not be true viruses, but can certainly also cause problems.
So, I suggest having additional protection. My favorite program for this is MalwareBytes Antimalware. It’s free to download (www.malwarebytes.com) and run manual scans, but it’s a good idea to buy the premium edition to have active protection all the time.