Alarmingly, as society becomes more reliant on internet-based technology, scammers are becoming more confident. While using a password tool will give you an additional layer of security, the scammers will still probably try their luck. Thankfully, there is a range of additional measures we can take to keep the cybercriminals at bay.
An online scam or a cyber attack can happen to anyone, sadly. While this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t enjoy the wonders of the internet, it does mean that it’s worth being careful while you’re surfing the web. Not everything online is a risk, either. For example, people confidently play casino games online because licensed online casinos offer top-level encryption and are essentially ultra-secure. Likewise, major e-commerce sites like eBay generally don’t cause much of a threat, although you might have to guard against the odd dodgy seller. Ultimately, you might live your life without ever being the victim of online criminality but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t guard against it, given the devastating impact it can have on a victim.
Thankfully, there are a number of simple measures you can take online in 2022. Let’s take a look at four of them below.
Never Share Your Personal Information
While this sounds obvious to some, there are many people who share important pieces of information online. For scammers, this is the ideal opportunity to piece together various bits of information before launching a cyber attack on an individual. It’s therefore hugely important to never share your passwords, banking information, social media account access, or address online. Anything you share online is essentially there for the world to see, online criminals included. Remain private and never share any personal information.
Be Sure Before You Click Link
One of the most common ways people fall victim to an online crime is by clicking what appears to be a legitimate link, only for it to actually be a fake website that might potentially install some harmful malware onto a computer or a smartphone device and essentially spy on your every move. With this in mind, only surf the web on reputable websites and steer clear of unknown sites that potentially cause harm. Likewise, if you receive a seemingly legitimate email that is asking you to click a link, hover your mouse over the link in question to generate a preview of the website in your browser’s status bar. If the link in question doesn’t match the official logo or seem legitimate on the surface, then don’t risk it with a click.
Be it in an internet cafe or at an airport, hackers generally look to disrupt public Wi-Fi networks and do damage to the people using them. In order to steer clear of this type of criminality, always make sure that the public Wi-Fi you’re using is secure. A secure network always requires a password and can be accessed by asking a staff member in a coffee shop, for example. Don’t take a risk and potentially join an unprotected network or even a fake Wi-Fi hotspot that is created by online criminals to lure unsuspecting web surfers in.
Consider Using VPN
A sure-fire way of making life difficult for hackers is by using a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN will provide an additional layer of security as it connects your devices to an internet server that nobody else can monitor. A fantastic way to stay safe at home and while out and about, using a VPN is a favoured choice for many people who are looking to stay safe online.
