Safety on the Internet

The internet is public: that is both its strength and its weakness.

Use your common sense

Don't put anything on the internet that you wouldn't allow on a poster in the high street.

But also, don't get paranoid - there are risks everywhere - crossing the road is a risk. Take sensible precautions and use the web as your window to the world.

Protect your identity: Some simple tips to keep your identity under wraps
Protect your Bank Balance: Don't pass data over the internet that you wouldn't give face to face
Protect your PC: You have much more to loose than the replacement value; With sensible precautions the virtual world can be as safe as the real one
It's not only on the Internet: Protect your security on every front.

It's not Just on the Web

It's not just on the Internet that you have to protect your Identity.

...you have to look to the way you conduct your day to day life as well.

Use your common sense

Your details are everywhere about you, on your letters, on the forms banks and the like send you, on your bank statements, on your credit cards.

Shred your documents: Use a cross-cut shredder that concerts paper to confetti. Use it to destroy anything that has your details on it, papers, credit cards, computer disks.
Inform everyone when you move house: Just imagine your bank statements being opened by a stranger. They'd know everything they needed to know to open a credit card account in your name.
Check you bank statements: Look out for unexpected transactions and be on the phone to your bank or credit card supplier the moment you spot something wrong.
..also your credit rating.: It cost money, but if someone's using your name to by a yacht in the Bahamas this is the first place it will show up. In the UK you can use http://www.callcreditcheck.com who will charge you a small fee.
Keep your bank and card operators informed.: If you tell them in advance that you're about to travel abroad or make a special purchase it's much easier for them to spot unusual transactions and block them. Then they have no excuse if they fail to spot a rogue transaction.

Protect Your Bank Balance

For the fraudsters the internet is just another market.

Nigeria is the epicentre of some types of fraud - they call it a 419 after the section of their criminal code involved. Most of their frauds involve the victim being willing to stretch his concience in some small way to secure a major gain.

Once the victims have broken the law once there are a thousand ways to empty their bank balances.

How do I spot a fraud on the internet?

As with fraud in the rest of the world, through vigilence. Ask the key questions

Why have I been selected for this offer?
How did they find my address?
Does this offer compromise my honesty: could I tell my mother or my pastor?

If an offer seems to good to be true it probobly is too good to be true.

Should I only trade with well known names or people I know?

That's a sensible course but make sure you really are dealing with them. AOL, very well known and respected players on the wrb has suffered several attacks from people pretending to be them.

Be on the lookout for e-mail addresses very nearly the same as one you know, if in doubt go on their website and use the 'contact us' facilities there.

When can I give out my bank or creditcard details?

Only when you see the

encription icon at the bottom right of your screen, and only then when you are very sure with whom you are dealing.

Protect your PC

Don't make it easy!

People take risks on a computer that they never would in ordinary life. We'd never leave our front door open and walk away but we do it time and again with our computer.

Turn it off.: Go into any large office and you'll see computers logged in and running with their operator nowhere to be seen. They may have gone to the loo, or to the photocopier, but there is their machine ready for anyone to use, and with your identity established in the best possible way.; If you move away from your computer, even for a few minutes, log it out or put it into a 'hibernate' mode that requires your password to re-activate it.
Protect your network: Protect your 'wireless' network with passwords so that your friends and neighbours cannot 'piggyback' onto the net.
Shred it!: We're always told to shred our paperwork before disposing of it yet we're quite happy just to throw out a computer when it's time expired; You can either physically remove and destroy the hard drive or use software to wipe your drive. See http://www.howtowipeyourdrive.com.

If someone wrecks your PC with a virus the replacement cost of the machine is the least of your worries.

What is the value of the records you lost: the letters, e-mails, family photos etc which are gone forever?

What information did he take to use on another day?

Do I need anti-virus software? It costs so much on a limited budget.

Sources of reliable anti-virus software
Norton Antivirus Suite
McAfee Anti-virus

Wherever else you save money don't try it here. Good anti-virus software costs money to install and money to keep it up to date.

Hackers and authors of viruses never sleep; neither should your anti-virus software.

Is that all I need?

No, there is other opensource software - that costs you nothing - that you should download and use every week or so. Try

Ad-Aware from Lavasoft or
Skybot

What other precautions can I take

Never open attachments unless you know and trust the source

Never respond to e-mails from strange addresses. Even responding tells whoever is on the other side that your e-mail address is real

Keep away from dubious websites. Your anti-virus software should warn you off the worst of them but even the best can't be fully up to date.

Protecting your Identity

Simple Precautions can reduce the risk of Identity Theft

Many of us over-50s neglect precautions on the internet that we take as normal in the real world.

If you wouldn't do it in a foreign flea market don't do it here!

Us a nick-name when visiting a community site.: Don't use your real name on a community site like Retired but Active.; Likewise don't give out your address unless something has to be delivered to your door. A community site can legitimately ask the region where you live but not your full postal address.
Set up a seperate e-mail address.: There are several free mailing systems available on the web. Avail yourself of one or more.; If a site keeps sending you spam and other unwanted material, just discontinue the new address and be done with it.
Make your e-mail address difficult to guess.: There's no point having the nick-name 'Jack the Lad' if you give an e-mail address 'james.cameron@hotmail.com' Mix letters and numbers so that the spammers can't guess your address 'jack1943thelad@hotmail.com for instance.
Look out for Phishing: If anyone asks you for your passwords or other personal data asks yourself is this real?; Phishers try to steal your identity by asking you for it in a credible format, usually by pretending to be your bank, or internet provider.; Remember these people already know your password, so why would they want it confirmed?