Our Top Tips for Being Safer Online
Being online in 2022 means a lot more than it used to. The internet is so much more than a business function and is firmly established as a necessity for modern day living. Whether you are completing an online learning course, discovering your next holiday destination, staying in touch with friends and family or even completing your food shop - chances are you use it daily for a number of different reasons. This can be daunting for so many of our service users and local residents.
Today is Internet Safety Day by saferinternet.org and although the aim may be making online gaming a safer and a more friendly environment for under 18s there is still a lot we can all learn by being a little safer with our information online.
Top Tips for Staying Safe Online
Take your password very seriously - We’re talking to you Password01 and 123456 users. We know it’s hard remembering passwords for everything but having a secure password is key. Try to avoid obvious passwords and make them something cryptic. For example don’t use a password that would be the same as your secure question answer and ensure your password has a number of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and a special character.
Don’t add your personal information i.e. your home address and phone number. Keep these private. Be careful when posting photographs, ensure that you don't include your home in the background by accident.
Be careful who you talk to online. If you don’t know them, be wary of the information you share. Strangers don’t need to know that you live alone, or will be going away for a couple of days leaving your house empty. If you wouldn’t tell someone you just met something about yourself, don’t tell someone online.
Staying Safe on Facebook
Facebook is a wonderful tool for staying in touch with friends and family, finding out what is going on in your local area and also for shopping. However, there are a number of different ways that people use Facebook to exploit people who may not be as tech savvy. Facebook have a lot of tips here on how to spot scams on their page - we highly recommend you take the time to have a read through in more detail when you get some time.
Our top tips:
Is the link you are sharing or clicking on from a genuine page or person? For example if it's a competition to win a voucher for a supermarket or holiday provider - has it come from their official page? If not, it's probably a phishing scam.
Does the page sound genuine? Is the language right? If not then there's a large chance it’s not a genuine page.
Banks, building societies and loan providers would never do business over Facebook. You would need to contact their helpline. Never give your bank details or pin number over Facebook.
Finally remember to win a competition you have to be in it right? If you haven’t entered a competition then you couldn’t have won. As tempting as it is - don’t click that link and definitely don’t enter your bank details.
Training Coming Soon
Since our launch we have been passionate about connecting those most vulnerable in our community with vital services like prescriptions, shopping and just human interaction. We noticed almost immediately in the start of the pandemic that lack of understanding of something as basic as internet shopping was causing issues for a lot of people. This year we will be launching tutorials for anyone who feels a little left behind in a technological age. We’ll have more information soon but if you’re interested in helping as a volunteer with this scheme get in touch with us now at info@rcvuk.org
With Thanks
Our Internet connections have kindly been installed by Cambrian Connect; an independent solution provider that focuses on delivering first class customer experience and technical support in our local area. They visited us over the festive period to ensure we could have adequate connections in both our Coffee Shop and Pantry We Connect and our home at Channel View Community Hall.
If you are struggling with your physical connection, poor internet speeds, or a lack of technical support, give Cambrian Connect Ltd a shout and find out how they are helping many businesses and residential communities achieve higher speeds and more reliable services.