Tips for staying safe online Let’s talk cybersecurity! Over the last few years my elderly parents and relatives have become more and more involved with using Facebook and Whatsapp. The catalyst for this for my parents was the COVID 19 lockdowns. Their sense of isolation was made much less by being able to see what their friends and family were up to and to communicate with them on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis. So both parents were furnished with smart phones and taught how to have live chats with family and friends using Facebook messenger and video calling via Whattsapp. The learning part was a painful process on mine and my sisters’ part – we had to show them how to operate these apps in minute detail, probably talking them through the process at least 50 times until it eventually sunk in!! If my dad asks me one more time how to turn his phone torch on I may scream and run away. Despite the challenges, they are both happily video calling, sending texts, availing of Facebo

  Romance fraud or scams are big business! According to recent figures from Action Fraud , almost £92 million has been stolen from victims this year alone! So what exactly is a romance fraud? According to Crimestoppers it is “when you think you’ve met the perfect partner online, but they are using a fake profile to form a relationship with you”.   These scammers build fake profiles on dating websites to try and build relationships with prospective victims, this is commonly known as Catfishing. They don’t just limit themselves to dating websites and have been known to reach out to people on gaming websites and via social media profiles such as Facebook and Instagram to name a few. These catfishers deploy social engineering tactics to try to gain the trust of people they would deem as susceptible to their methods, commonly targeting social media profiles where the owner is listed as divorced or widowed. They can be very convincing and often make the victim believe they are a real

  Shop Online Securely   As the big sales arrive but many of the high street stores like Debenhams, Principles and Dorothy Perkins, to name a few, no longer have a physical store, many shoppers will resort to online shopping to buy their favourite brands. Some handy tips to remember when shopping online are: Check that you use the correct website and that it is legitimate – do not click on a link as there are many fake copycat websites out there! If you can, use a credit card as opposed to a debit card. Using a credit card usually means you are protected when making online payments. When you are ready to make your payment, check for the closed padlock to show the website is using a secure connection.   If you do not see this padlock DO NOT enter your payment information! To get further information and top tips please check out this useful infographic from the NCSC.