BP in Practice

Privacy & Security Volume 16, No. 12 – December 2019

Holiday Hustle
‘TIS THE SEASON!
As 2019 comes to a close, many of
us have started the holiday hustle—
buying gifts, decking the halls, and
preparing for parties. But as you dash
around this holiday season, Business
Practices wants to remind you to be
on the lookout for another kind of
hustle—the type that involves social
media scams designed to access
Houston Methodist’s systems,
damage our reputation, and cause
harm to our patients.
COOKIES FOR SANTA...OR SWINDLERS?
Did you know that personal social media accounts can put HM at risk? If you’re active on Facebook,
LinkedIn, or other social media apps, scammers can use the profile information you post to hijack your
accounts. And once someone has access to your personal accounts, they may be able to gain enough
information to target HM systems, too. So what can you do to protect yourself and our organization?

HOW TO BE SANTA’S LITTLE HELPER

When it comes to your own accounts, use these simple tips to protect yourself, our patients, and HM:
 Don’t use the same password on social media accounts as your HM accounts.
 Only accept connections from people you know.
 When downloading an app, never agree to share your contact list, and review your privacy settings
carefully to restrict who can see your email address and phone number.
 Add two-factor authentication in the Privacy Setting for social media apps to protect your account.
 Be wary of Facebook quizzes that ask for personal information, like your mother’s maiden name, your
date of birth, or your childhood best friend’s name—scammers can use this information to answer
security questions and gain access to your other accounts.

NAUGHTY OR NICE?
Pay careful attention to emails you receive. If the message asks for sensitive information (like a password
or financial information) or includes an unusual request from a member of management, be cautious, and
don’t click on links or open attachments. Instead, call the sender to verify whether the email is real or send
the email as an attachment to spamspotting@houstonmethodist.org. Either way, you avoid being hustled
this holiday!
Now That’s Living the Houston Methodist Values Through Business Practices!

BP EthicsLine: 800.500.0333 | tmhs.myethicsline.com

Prepared by the Houston Methodist Business Practices Office. For more information, please contact Dan
Pantera, Houston Methodist Business Practices Officer, at dpantera@houstonmethodist.org or 713.383.5177.
Archives are available on the Business Practices homepage. Review Policies IM06 and IM26. BP in Practice
(excluding art) ©2019 Houston Methodist