Canton IT Director Shares Tips to Avoid Cyber Scams

City official Patrick Barton outlines best practices to protect against suspicious communications.

Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Cybersecurity

Bold vector editorial illustration featuring a steel padlock secured within a geometric lattice, representing digital security and scam prevention. — Canton IT Director Patrick Barton is urging residents and city employees to ignore unsolicited communications and exercise caution regarding suspicious emails to protect data. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you feel confident in your current ability to identify and avoid digital scams?

Canton IT Director Patrick Barton is advising residents and employees to exercise caution regarding unknown emails and phone calls. He specifically highlights increased vulnerability to scam attempts during the final hours of the workday.

Why it matters

Understanding how to recognize fraudulent communication is vital for personal digital security. Being vigilant during specific times of day can help individuals avoid falling victim to common cyberattacks.

IT experts identify the end of the workday as a peak window for malicious activity. Users should mitigate risks by ignoring unknown numbers and avoiding emails from unrecognized senders.

The players

Patrick Barton

Patrick Barton is the IT Director for the Canton city government who manages local digital security policies.

The details

Patrick Barton, serving as the IT Director for the Canton city government, recommends that individuals proactively ignore unsolicited phone calls and refrain from interacting with suspicious emails. These simple behavioral shifts are designed to reduce the risk of compromising personal or city data.

October 28, 2026: The guidance was published for the Canton community.

The Tech Race

This advice aligns with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's phishing awareness protocols to defend against modern digital threats. By emphasizing user behavior, the city reinforces standard defensive strategies against the evolving landscape of automated scams.

Residents can improve their personal security by ignoring calls from unknown numbers and avoiding suspicious emails. These small changes to daily digital habits help prevent data breaches and financial loss.

The takeaway

Maintaining heightened awareness during the end of the workday is a simple but effective security measure. By adopting a skeptical approach to unsolicited contact, individuals can significantly reduce their risk of becoming a target.