Discover a few tips about how to stay safe when using the internet and some of the dangers you may encounter.

Online Safety for Beginners

The internet has given us everything we could need at our fingertips. From video calling your family on the other side of the world, to having a fully stocked fridge without ever leaving your front door, internet access has given us many lifestyles enhancing opportunities. However, we must keep our wits about us when using the internet. With a great internet connection comes great responsibility, and sophisticated new scams and software mean it can be easy to be taken advantage of online. You can be robbed of money or have your personal details or private information leaked to dishonest individuals. But not to worry! We’re here to give you some tips and guidance, so you can feel confident surfing the internet safely. When in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask! From a dishonest email to a forgotten password, be sure to ask a trusted friend or family member for a bit of guidance.

Top tip

When in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask! From a dishonest email to a forgotten password, be sure to ask a trusted friend or family member for a bit of guidance.

Bank safely

Online banking is a great way to have instant control over your finances. You can check your bank balance at any time on your phone, freeze a lost or stolen card instantly, or change your personal details without having to trudge to the bank.

However, you must be extra careful when dealing with money online. Here are some things to remember:

Make sure you’re only using the official app for your bank. You can tell these apart from fake apps as they will have a large number of reviews, and are often the first to appear when searching on the app or google play store.

Never give anyone the login details to your online banking account. For minors, it may be important that your parents know your password, and for those who are elderly or cared for, your carer may need access to your bank account to assist you, but they should not be accessing it without your knowledge and presence.

Login details should never be left on display or shared. It’s super important that you keep those details to yourself, to keep both you and your money safe.

Shop safely

A good rule of thumb is if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Never purchase anything offered in an unexpected email, or follow links that promise prizes, rewards, or money. It’s likely that this is just a way of getting your personal details.

For additional protection, it’s always best to use a credit card for online purchases rather than a debit card. If the purchase costs more than £100 and is bought using a credit card, the seller and the card company are equally responsible if anything goes wrong.

The best way to stay safe whilst shopping online is to stick to using online retailers with a good reputation, such as well-known supermarkets, or high street shops that you go to a lot. This will make sure that you’re only putting money in the hands of retailers that you trust.

Did you know?

Phishing is when attackers send malicious emails designed to trick people into falling for a scam. Typically, the intent is to get users to reveal financial information, system credentials or other sensitive data.

Online scams

Scammers often use social networks like Facebook, or dating websites, to befriend you and gain your trust. Once this trust has been established, they will then start asking for money – often by sharing a sad, emotional story or asking for help in an emergency situation.

This is especially dangerous as this form of scamming involves willingly handing your money to someone else, and therefore makes it virtually impossible to get that money back.

Similarly, hackers often act as charities, lotteries, or local governments, requesting your information to give deposit prizes or funds into your account.

A simple rule of thumb: Do not give or receive money from anyone you do not know and trust in a person.

Did you know?

Catfishing is the process of luring someone into a relationship using a fictional online persona. This is often to extort the victim into handing over money or gifts.

Protecting passwords

Passwords for accounts that hold private information should have unique passwords, different from your others. This makes sure that if a password of yours is leaked online it won’t allow access to important things such as your personal information, financial details, or intimate details about your life. Passwords are easy to reset with email access, so it is better to forget your password and have to reset it than to make it too easy – if you can’t get in, it’s very likely no one else can!

To create strong passwords, it is recommended that you use three random but memorable words for each password. This combination makes it virtually impossible for your password to be guessed or easily worked out, by those who know you, or strangers with ill intent. Passwords can be made stronger by using a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters.

Did you know?

If you struggle to remember your unique passwords, why not use a password manager? This is software that remembers your password for you and will log you in with just the click of a button.

Now you’re ready to surf safely!

Thanks for reading! We hope this guide gave you a bit more confidence when using the internet, meaning you can use your Broadway connection and internet package to its fullest!