Savvy Surfing

How to foil Internet scammers

Discover how to give online scammers a wide berth with our internet security expert’s top tips and surf with confidence!

Been Scammed?

Report it to the National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre, who can provide help for crimes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 0300 123 2040, www.actionfraud.police.uk. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101, www.scotland.police.uk. To speak to someone about your experiences, contact Victim Support free on 0808 1689 111 (England & Wales) www.victimsupport.org.uk or 0345 603 9213 (Scotland). www.victimsupportsco.org.uk

Safety First

“The internet is a fantastic place. Millions of successful interactions and transactions take place every day, but like everything in life, you need to keep safe,” says Tony Neate, CEO of Get Safe Online. “Make sure that your machine has a fully updated operating system and all the applications, such as Word and Google too. Ensure that you have strong security software in place; that applies for ever y device, from your desktop to your laptop to your mobile phone.

“So many people are caught out by their weak password. Don’t use frequently used passwords (eg pets’ names or mother’s maiden name) and don’t use the same one for everything. We recommend three random words put together, maybe mixing up some of the letters for numbers. If you need to note down the password, do it in a cryptic way.

“Do some research. For example, check companies in Companies House, use Google Maps to check that holiday lets actually exist, and that the details match up with those you’ve been given.”

“The internet offers so many opportunities. Just be careful and protect yourself so you can make the most of them with peace of mind. Be aware and be safe.”

Web Watch

Secure websites show a locked padlock icon next to the web address in the browser pane and addresses start with “https”– the “s” denotes that it is secure. Check the address for misspellings, extra or unexpected words or spurious characters or numbers.

“Ensure there’s a landline telephone number and a contact address,” says Tony. “Before buying online, try to contact the company. If you can’t do that when you are looking to buy something, what are the chances of doing that if there’s a problem?

“Ask the opinion of another person about those concert tickets that suddenly become available, that bargain car or that holiday of a lifetime. You can also ask the internet itself – are there reviews of the company that you can read on major sites like Trustpilot?”

Be Prepared

For expert and readable, factual information and advice relating to online safety, visit Get Safe Online, the UK’s governmentbacked, leading authority on protecting yourself or your business against fraud and identity theft online. You’ll also find news, tips and advice on related topics such as virus protection. www.getsafeonline.org