The sad truth is, there are people out there in this uber-connected world who want to take advantage of you. BE AWARE! I recently received this email.

Now, I do have an account with Coinbase, and I do have two-factor authentication active there.

HOWEVER… I did not run to push the button to go to the website as instructed in the email. Instead, I looked at the return email address. Lo and behold! It is NOT a Coinbase address at all!

You can’t just go willy-nilly button-clicking nowadays.

Use 2FA every chance you get. It makes it much harder for the slimy ones to get their hands on your account info — even if it’s Facebook! Get in the habit of checking the return address on ALL emails you’re tempted to click a link in. If it isn’t from who the mail says it is… delete, report as spam, and if it’s your credit card or utility company, they have ways you can report those to them.

You’re probably wondering what 2FA (two-factor authentication) is and how to get it. Simply put, it’s a second layer required for you to sign in to whatever account you have. You may choose to not use it on social media accounts, but it makes it much harder for hackers to gain access to your account. Two-factor authentication is done in a couple different ways.

In one version, you’ll receive a text message asking whether the person just then logging into your account is supposed to be logging into your account.

In another version, an authenticator app is used. I personally use Google Authenticator. It’s simple to get, install, and use. Click here for instructions.

I also use LastPass. LastPass is a tool to manage and maintain your passwords. It’s free, but if you want to upgrade to some more abilities, there’s a version that’s only $3 per month.