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Are You Internet Savvy?
Posted by Kim on Monday, November 8th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Over the last few years activities that were once only conducted offline are now increasingly carried out online. In the past, banking, shopping and even dating were exclusively offline activities. While doing business on the Internet is convenient, fun and a time saver, it’s important to know the risks and how to protect yourself.
Understanding the Risks
The average home in the United States has at least one computer with access to the Internet. Each time that computer is booted up your information is potentially exposed to hackers. In a matter of seconds, your Internet privacy can be jeopardized.
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. It involves criminals stealing your personal and/or financial information such as bank account numbers, social security numbers, credit card numbers or other details. They will use this information to buy items on credit or to even empty out your bank account.
Internet hackers and scammers work very hard to devise new ways to steal your personal information. Therefore, it’s imperative that you do everything possible to protect it. These criminals prey on your ignorance. You can defeat their efforts by making it far too difficult to access your information.
PC Safety
Your online safety begins with your computer. Follow these simple tips before you begin doing any business online:
· Install security software including a firewall as well as virus and malware protection. Keep all of the programs updated.
· Be very careful of the information you store on your computer. Your best bet is to purchase a flash drive. Store any banking and tax records on the flash drive and keep the drive locked away in a fireproof cabinet or lockbox.
· If you decide to sell or recycle your computer, it’s essential that you wipe the hard drive first. A simple “delete” will not do the job. Unfortunately, there is some very clever recovery software available.
Beware of How You Share
Perhaps the biggest risk you take online is sharing personal information with the wrong people. The one proven way to protect your personal information is to not share anything with anyone. Of course, that may not be a realistic solution. However, there are a few crucial rules to follow when doing business online.
· Guard your credit card information. Never enter your credit card details until you check to ensure the website is secure. The URL should always begin with “https” (not http) and there should be an icon that looks like a lock in your browser. Any information entered on an “https” website will be encrypted before it is sent over the Internet.
· Contact your credit card company and ask if they offer an online shopping card. Typically you can fill the card with a limited amount of money and it is used for online shopping only. The card will have a different card number so that if the number is stolen, your original credit card is still safe and secure.
· Social networking can be fun and entertaining. You would be amazed though what information can be obtained from social networking sites. The good news is that most of these sites allow you to keep your profile private. It’s time to start using that feature! Ideally you should never list your address, telephone number or date of birth in your profile anyway. Your close friends and family already know these details and the rest of the world should not have access to this information. Keep what information you do list private and do not accept friend requests from strangers.
· Create strong passwords that are a minimum of eight characters long using a combination of upper case and lower case letters and numbers. Do not use anything that is easy to guess like birthdates, nicknames, anniversaries, middle names, etc. Change your passwords frequently.
· Only do business online with well-known and reputable businesses and websites.
· When you exit a website, make sure you are completely logged out. Closing your browser is not sufficient. Use the “Log Off” feature to end your session with that site. If your browser asks if you want it to remember your user name and password, say NO.
You can be as safe in your online life as you are in your everyday life if you follow these tips!
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About This Site
My name is Kim and I am a freelance writer. I have over 30 years of experience in office management and administrative expertise. I specialize in handling customer service, training and writing for online businesses.
Writing has always been my passion. I am an avid animal lover who is combining my love of writing and animals together in the children’s books I am writing.
The Internet has opened up a whole new world for people of all ages. While most of us agree it’s changed our lives for the better, there are still precautions that you need to take. I want to help you navigate the Internet safely. However, being security conscious doesn’t stop with the Internet. This blog will be your source of information and education to keep you and your family safe online and offline.
While I wish the cost of maintaining a blog was free, it is not. The providers of some—though not all—of the sites mentioned are generous enough to provide compensation for my honest opinions about their products or services. I do not write about any product that I have not personally tried. Feel free to check out my full compensation disclosure.
Kim