Millions of Gmail and Facebook users warned to ‘secure accounts’ as Action Fraud reveals Brits have lost £1.3million

AN EYEWATERING £1.3million has fallen into the hands of hackers who have broken into social media and email accounts, new data shows.

Action Fraud has revealed that more than 22,500 people had their accounts compromised last year, and lost cash as a result.

The findings have renewed efforts to make sure people are safe on the web, from being able to spot the signs of phishing to having a secure password.

“Anyone with a social media or email account can be a target for fraudsters or cyberattacks,” Pauline Smith, head of Action Fraud, said in a statement.

“It is important to take action to secure your accounts, as fraud becomes even harder to detect with technology on a global scale.”

Protect your accounts

According to Action Fraud, hackers took advantage of three separate methods to take control of accounts: on-platform chain hacking, leaked passwords and phishing.

On-platform chain hacking is when a cyber crook gains control of one account, and begins to impersonate the legitimate owner in order to hack into others.

Email addresses and passwords are regularly leaked in data breaches.

Fortunately, there are several ways to check if a password has been compromised.

Not only can your iPhone tell you, but Google recently added a new password security alert flags compromised, weak and reused passwords.

There are also subtle clues that you’re about to be the target of a phishing scam that web users need to learn, like spelling mistakes, false urgency and asking too many questions.

Action Fraud says one of the best ways to avoid being a victim is to use strong and different passcodes for your email and social media accounts.

Passwords: Best Practice

A strong password makes a secure account.

The first tip is to make sure you have a different password for each of your accounts.

A 20 character-long random password containing uppercase and lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers is the most secure you can get.

While these can be a nightmare to remember, people should avoid storing their passcodes on their browsers.

Instead, it’s important to adopt a trusted password manager – like Google’s own – that can keep track and encrypt all your passwords.

Another good security measure is to turn on two-step verification on your email and social media accounts.

These days, every platform offers users two-step verification – which means users must prove their identity before logging into an account.

“Protect your information by ensuring your email and social media passwords are secure and different from all your other passwords,” added Smith.

“You can also set up 2-step verification for a layer of extra security. Remember, prevent the potential for fraud and hacking, never share your password or any 2-step verification code with anyone.”