Protect against cybercrime to avoid unwanted surprises during probate

With many people now in possession of multiple digital assets and managing their accounts online, it is important to protect against cybercrime to avoid an unwanted surprise for probate beneficiaries after death.

As computer hackers become increasingly advanced and organised, if online assets get tampered with and intercepted, loved ones may find themselves without their share of an estate during probate if it was kept online.

To avoid this eventuality, industry experts are issuing advice to consumers on how to protect themselves from cyber criminals.

Kevin Wharram, independent IT security consultant, stated that to protect digital accounts "users should make sure that their automatic update is turned on.

"Users should also make sure that they have the latest version of other software installed."

Antivirus software is also vital and must be kept up to date. Mr Wharram advises using various site advisor tools for browsing sites safely in addition to standard anti-virus software.

Published by Tessa Jones