Spring cleaning tasks should include cleaning up your phone and computer

QUINCY — You may be making plans to clean up the physical clutter in your house this spring, but what about the digital clutter on your phone or computer?

Spring cleaning season is a great time to check in on your digital cleanliness. Keeping your phone, computer and other devices organized and secure helps ensure your important files are safe and easy to access. Bonus: Cleaning up old files also helps your devices run faster.

If your devices aren’t protected, you could lose important files or personal data to hackers, malware or viruses. BBB frequently receives reports of identity theft scams.

Consumers also report tech support scams – where a pop-up ad or phone call from scammers posing as tech support agents tells you your computer has a virus or needs repairs right away. If you allow the scammers remote access to your device, they may install malware that opens you up to identity theft. They might also ask for money in exchange for their phony repair services.

This spring, BBB recommends you take a few simple, proactive steps to clean up your devices and prevent malware and identity theft.

BBB’s digital spring cleaning tips:

• Lock down your logins. Create a strong password for all your accounts, and make sure each password is unique and safely stored. For extra security, enable two-factor authentication.
• Clean up old files. Go through all software, apps and files on your devices and uninstall or remove the ones you no longer need.
• Back up your files. Regularly copy important files to a location other than your device in case it is stolen or damaged. You can use a local solution like a USB flash drive or external hard drive, or you can use a cloud solution like Google Drive.
• Update your devices. Install software updates or patches as soon as they become available to help protect your devices from cyberattacks. Your device should notify you when updates are available. You also can search for software updates for your accessories, such as printers and routers, by going to the support area of those devices’ websites and searching for “firmware update.”
• Use virus protection. Install antivirus or cybersecurity software to protect your devices from viruses, malware and hackers. You can search for trusted companies offering these services at BBB.org.

Don O’Brien is the regional director for the Quincy Better Business Bureau. Contact him at dobrien@quincybbb.org or (217) 209-3972.