The internet is wonderful and it has opened up numerous opportunities for all of us. However, when surfing the web, we need to be careful of what sites we visit and what links we click on. We need to protect ourselves from viruses and spam, and although using our email is an essential part of business, it also exposes your company to all manners of things like spyware, trojans, ransomware and a number of other really harmful programs, that allow these applications to attack with phishing scams. We can avoid these scams however, and we will discuss some of them here.
Check Your Accounts.
Make sure that you visit your online accounts fairly regularly. If you don’t think someone could be using your details to get up to all manner of things. You might not use this account a lot, but it pays to check in occasionally to make sure that it is not being used for nefarious purposes. Also, change your passwords at regular intervals and if you are using the internet for purchases via your credit or debit card, then check your statements and make sure there are no charges on there, that you didn’t make.
Update.
Patches for security are released on a regular basis and so if you are using an anti-spam software program like Mailcleaner, then allow it to update, and read the messages that it sends you. It is there to protect you and your PC, and to ignore it would be foolish. Keep your browser up to date, because these patches are released because phishers and hackers have found some loopholes in security, and they are trying to make money from them. If you are offered an update, don’t put it off, accept it and download it immediately. There is a good reason for this update, so don’t ignore it, if you don’t want to be hacked.
Nuisance Pop-ups.
Pop-ups are a massive nuisance and we see quite literally, hundreds of them every time we go online. They look like they belong to the website that you are using, but they don’t belong there at all. Very often, they are attempts at a phishing scam and you need to be aware of them, so you don’t click on them. Most browsers will allow you to block pop-ups, but you can also accept them on a case by case basis. If one gets through, then don’t try to cancel it by clicking on the button, this will most likely lead you onto a phishing website. Click on the X at the top of the window.
Protect Your Information.
You should never ever give out your personal or financial information over the internet. If you receive a request from your bank for example, then don’t enter the website attached to the email, instead, go to the their main website, get their phone number and give them a call to verify that they want your information. Most legitimate sites will never ask for account details or personal information, so be aware of this. Also, never send your details to a friend via online methods, you never know who is watching.
Phishing scams and emails are a daily occurrence, and you really need to be on top of your game if you are to spot themall. Be careful out there when you are surfing the internet. All manner of people are trying to get your information.
