Today, the internet is used in everyday from looking up YouTube to hear and watch the latest music videos, to making online banking transactions. However, it is also used by the online criminal to con people out of their personal details or worse their bank details. Don’t despair, the web is a useful and wonderful place to visit where you can learn almost anything, all you have to do is use a bit of common sense and be aware, that’s where this blog comes in. I’m going to give you a few tips to stay safe online. One of the most common ways the unscrupulous will try to catch the unprepared out is scam emails. When you receive an email saying you have an amount of money from X , think if someone came up to you saying I have some money for you, what would your reaction be, what’s the catch / con, just do the same with the email , is it asking you for any information or asking you to click on a certain link? If something looks to good to be true, it probably is too good to be true! If you receive an email asking you to click on any link , say from your bank don’t, your bank wouldn’t normally do this they would usually send out a letter, or if you do carry out online banking or are expecting an email from an organization, go to that organizations website if you don’t know it use the Google search engine (Google it!). If you get an email from a friend with a link on it, its probably safe, but before you click on it send or contact your friend to make sure they sent it. Be careful what you put on your Facebook account, going on holiday etc.check that only your friends can see your page(s) unless you want it to be public. Facebook settings can be changed at any time if you want to change them I would advise Googling how to change my Facebook settings. Being safe online is more a matter of attitude and a bit of common sense, Don’t be afraid, the world awaits you all from the internet.
There’s a BBC blog you could have a look at http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/findoutmore/help-me-out-staying-safe-online .
