Thieves come in all shapes and sizes.
For homeowners and renters, thieves can even come right you through computer or mobile device screens.
Cases of cyber-attacks and other Internet crimes unfortunately don’t appear to be going away anytime soon.
That said it is important that families and individuals for that matter do their utmost when it comes to protecting how and where they access the Internet.
Protection and Education Lead the Way
Whether you own just one computer in the house or multiple computers and mobile devices, it is imperative that online users always keep cyber-criminals and other online people with bad intent at bay.
In order to do that, make sure you are:
- Up to date on Internet security – The first item of importance is to have solid online protection. If you haven’t already looked to protect your mac with antivirus software, do it now. Doing so allows you to greatly reduce online threats. Such software will assist in closing the door against threatening websites, guard you and your children when perusing social media, and put up a wall against identity thieves, thieves who can put your financial life in great harm. If you are tempting fate and going without any kind of Internet protection software at the moment, don’t try your luck one extra day. Risking your finances, potentially your children when they’re surfing the Internet, and the overall safety of your family is not worth it;
- Not giving criminals help along the way – While no one who uses the Internet purposefully goes out of their way to provide online criminals with help (unless they are criminals themselves), don’t unwittingly give such criminals help along the way. Putting sensitive financial and other such personal details out on the Internet is simply asking for trouble. Yes, buying goods and services online, doing online banking and credit card payments, discussing personal healthcare information etc. online is common practice. That said don’t discuss it with anyone except people (family, close friends etc.) who you can fully trust;
- Avoiding being overly social – When it comes to social media, there is so much to be gained by using it. On the flip side, however, online criminals use social media daily to get one step closer to trying to ruin people’s lives. As an example, say you and a friend are chatting on Facebook (without your profile being set to only allow friends and family to see it). In the meantime, an identity theft thief (someone who has penetrated your profile setting) is monitoring the conversation, having been able to gleam pertinent information from your discussion. In the end, you could very well have opened the door to a personal nightmare. When it comes to your children using social media, it is extremely important that they do not give out any personal information whatsoever. Online predators regularly surf social sites, hoping to find their next victim. Also avoid advertising to the world on your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other such accounts that you are away from home for an extended period of time. Cyber-criminals look for when you are most vulnerable, moving in for their opportunity to cash-in. Either wait until you return from a trip to post those amazing vacation pictures or avoid such advertising altogether. Finally, be careful when using social media to be openly critical of others, especially employers. More and more employers are watching social sites these days, including leading up to interviewing people for positions. Negative comments about a current or past employer can prove very damaging in just one simple share or tweet.
Given how important (for a variety of reasons) the Internet is to millions and millions of families and individuals, there is no chance anytime soon that you are likely to see a major drop off in worldwide web usage.
That said using the Internet in a safe and educated way is definitely the road Internet users want to travel down.
Starting down that safe path begins with making sure your home has the online privacy it needs and deserves.
If you’ve been a little slow to get your online activities safely in order at home, change that line of thinking today.