Internet security

posted by admin on Jun 6

The internet is an amazing resource. It allows you to quickly learn about almost anything, to find poetry and read stories both new and ancient, it even now brings both radio, television and films to you at the click of a left mouse button. However, it is important to remember that criminals use the internet too, and there are many people out there who are not genuine, and are trying to steal your identity, or even simpler, take your money from you. There are ways you can protect yourself, and ways that you can spot fraudulent websites. This article could end up being very long, so rather than cover everything, I am going to ignore email fraud, virus infection & identity theft. Using this website on roller banners as an example, I’m going to focus on ‘fake’ websites that are just trying to directly take your hard earned money away from you.

The days of the yellow pages are on their way out, when we want to find something many of now just go to our computers and ‘google it’. We search for what we are looking for, and once we have found it we buy it. The advantages of this are numerous, it can be done from the comfort of our home/office, it can be done at any time day or night, and we can quickly compare multiple companies offering multiple products. When we are searching though, how can we make sure that we don’t end up the victim of a criminal selling something that he doesn’t own? Read the rest of this entry »

posted by admin on Mar 27

How safe is your idenity?

Identity theft is on the increase, as fraudsters target unsuspecting individuals in the hopes of obtaining financially crippling information from them.

But what steps can you take to be safer?

1) Protect your PIN.

When withdrawing money from an ATM, or when purchasing goods using your debit, or credit card, always make sure no one is hovering over your shoulder watching what you type.

2) Invest in a shredder.

Make sure it’s a cross-cut type shredder as well. We all receive junk mail from credit card companies, and our first instinct is to throw them in the bin. Don’t do this. When throwing anything away, first make sure you shred ANYTHING with your personal details.

3) Password protection.

Make sure any telephone or online accounts are password protected. Never use your mother’s maiden name - use a random word, and include random numbers as well. Try to memorise passwords, instead of writing them down.

4) Unused credit cards.

Cancel any credit cards you have not used in the past 6 months, as these are easily targeted by fraudsters.

5) Cold callers.

Never disclose personal information to individuals or companies that contact you at home, or at work. These people could be anyone. If they claim to be your bank, or building society, insist on calling them back, and do so on the correct number you have for them.

6) Clean your wallet!

Remove anything from your wallet that you would not want there if it gets lost or stolen: PIN numbers, passwords, extra credit cards etc.

These are just a few tips to help you try and keep one step ahead of the con-artists.

Well, that’s all for now guys. Meanwhile, in other news, Clare has looked into the business of horse liability and Phil is pondering the benefits of microdermabrasion.