Crime safety advice for shoppers.
Whether shopping for this season’s wardrobe must-have or doing the weekly food shop, there is no doubt that access to the internet and online purchasing has made our fast-paced lives a whole lot easier. However, with over 51% of the UK population experiencing online crime and, over £670 million lost nationwide due to reported internet-enabled frauds, it is imperative we protect ourselves against cybercrime.
Cllr James McKay, Cabinet Member for Inclusion and Community Safety said “This event is a great opportunity for everyone to get advice and information on how to keep themselves and their families safe online. Tackling cybercrime is a growing area of activity for BCSP and one which I fully support.”
With 54% of UK mobile phone users not using even basic protection such as PIN numbers we have taken a look at some top tips to stay safe online:
DON’T BE A VICTIM: SIMPLE STEPS TO GET SAFE ONLINE
· PUT A PIN ON IT: Whether it’s a phone, website or a social media account, your first line of defence is a PIN or password. Never use the same password, make sure it is hard to guess and never share your passwords with anyone.
· BE SOFTWARE SAVVY: Protect all your devices with anti-virus software and make sure you regularly install updates to any programs or apps, as they often include improved security settings.
· KEEP IT PRIVATE: Check the privacy settings on all of your social media accounts so that only the people you want to share your information with can see it.
· SECURE THE WIFI: Make sure your home WiFi is protected with a strong password that only you and your family know. When out and about never use a hotspot that may be unsecured, especially when what you’re doing is personal or private.
· LOOK FOR THE PADLOCK: When shopping or banking online always check there is a padlock symbol in the web browser window when you have logged in or registered, and that the web address begins with ‘https://’. The ‘s’ stands for ‘secure’.
· BID SMARTLY: When using an auction site, make sure you never transfer any money directly to a bank account or hand over any personal details.
· LOG-OUT/LOG-OFF: Always make sure you log out of your accounts when you’ve finished with them and log off a computer when you’ve finished using it.
· POST IN HASTE, REPENT AT LEISURE: What goes online stays online so never say anything that could hurt, anger or endanger yourself or someone else.
· MANAGE YOUR MESSAGES: Never open or forward a suspicious looking email, or respond to a social media message from someone you don’t know.
About Get Safe Online
Get Safe Online (www.getsafeonline.org) takes place at Pavilions Birmingham on Friday 2nd-Saturday 3rd October from 10am–4pm which is now entering its seventh year, is the UK’s national internet security awareness initiative. A joint partnership between the Government, Ofcom and private sector sponsors from the worlds of technology, communications, retail and finance, the initiative continues to educate, inform and raise awareness of internet security issues to encourage confident, safe use of the internet. getsafeonline.org is supported by the Cabinet Office, Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, Home Office, Action Fraud, Ofcom, HSBC, Barclays, Microsoft, Gumtree, Symantec, Kaspersky Lab, Bob’s Business, Creative Virtual and PayPal.
