(WHTM) — When it comes to our finances and personal information, so much of it is done online.

Thieves know it and are constantly finding new ways to get to it. That’s why cybersecurity is so important.

“The reality is where there’s money and rewards to be had, there’s always going to be crime, there’s always going to be these bad actors.”

Doria Ferrante is the Top Risk Expert and Senior Vice President for Visa. She says that cybercrimes continue to be a top risk for both businesses and individuals.

Many times, these crimes can be avoided. In fact, 95% of successful cyber-attacks are due to human error, things like clicking a bad link and downloading a bad attachment.

“This just shows you that there’s catastrophic damage that can happen if we’re not hyper-vigilant in paying attention to these threats and really educating all those people that we know,” stated Ferrante.

One threat that we really need to pay attention to is social engineering attacks. “These are phishing techniques which are emails, someone is going to trick you into thinking they’re a legitimate business or someone you know…there’s also vhishing which is voice mail phishing…there’s also smishing which is text phishing. These are all ways that a cybercriminal is trying to infiltrate your life and get you to take an action on their behalf,” explained Ferrante.

Criminals can use these schemes to steal your money, passwords, and personal information. We are relying on more and more digital technologies, which is a good thing in many ways. However, it does put us at a higher risk of being targeted by these crooks.

“It brought us to their world…to the cybercriminal’s world where they thrive in a world of complexity, they’re very sophisticated and technologically savvy. So, we just need to be mindful that they’re there, and what are the ways that they’re trying to reach us. We need to be diligent,” explained Ferrante.

These attacks can also be easy to fall for because a lot of our personal information isn’t quite so personal. Ferrante explained that posting about things, like a trip, can provide information to scammers. “If you announce to the world on social media you’re going on the trip of a lifetime, and someone reaches out to you and says that you can’t go unless you send us $2000 today, as an example, some people fall for that.”

To protect yourself from these scams, use strong passwords and look carefully at web addresses. Be sure to make sure “O’s” aren’t replaced with zeros.

You can also hover over a link to make sure it’s actually taking you to the site you think it is.

Ferrante reminds Internet users to be aware, pause, and think before clicking. “Because at the end of the day, it’s speed which usually gets people caught by some of these scams.”

The “S” in “HTTPS” stands for “secure.” So, look for that on websites where you need to enter credit card or other personal information. The bottom line is to do your research on a brand-new website to make sure it’s legitimate and not a scam.