How to keep yourself safe online

With the advancements of modern technology and the rise in cybercrime, it’s proving more difficult to keep yourself safe online. The UK had the highest number of cybercrime victims per million internet users in 2022, with the most common cyber threat in the UK being phishing. This is the advice of Cheltenham Police:

To protect yourself from these scams known as ‘phishing’:

• don’t open attachments or click on links in emails or texts from senders you don’t know
• never give out personal information, financial details or passwords in response to an email, when you receive an unexpected phone call or in response to a text message
• set up spam filters on all of your accounts
• don’t respond to emails or texts from unknown sources
• always go to a website directly, by typing out the address yourself, when logging into an account

Here are some more tips on how to keep yourself and your data safe online:

• try using three unrelated words, eg fishbooktable; and think of three different words for each account, so if one is compromised the others are safe
• never give personal or sensitive details out online or over email
• only open emails and attachments from known and trusted sources
• only ever use websites that start with https://, however make sure that you’re on the correct site by sense-checking the full website address
• regularly back up your data
• control your social media accounts – regularly check your privacy settings and how your data is being used and shared
• be extremely cautious if you’re asked for money

When you’re online, it can be hard to spot a fake website, to help spot a fake website:

• sense check the domain name
• are the prices too good to be true?
• never pay by bank transfer – legitimate sites will accept payment via usual methods, such as bank card and PayPal
• read the terms and conditions, and policies, to check they’re clear and fair

For the parents who are anxious about keeping their children safe, here’s how you can do it!

• keep computers and games consoles in family rooms where you can monitor activity
• install parental control software or activate parental controls
• ‘friend’ or ‘follow’ your child on social networks, so you can see how they’re using them
• check age restrictions for websites or social networks to make sure your children are allowed to join
• advise your child not to post personal information or any images they wouldn’t want everyone to see
• check their social media accounts’ privacy settings, so their posts are only seen by friends and their location isn’t tracked
• avoid using webcams unless talking to close friends or family, and consider covering it when not in use
• monitor how your children use the internet and watch for any secretive behaviour 
• encourage your child to be open about what they do online and who they’re talking to
• insist you go with them if they wish to meet online friends
• ensure the games your children play online are age appropriate

To report a cybercrime, call 101 or visit your local police station.