Stay Safe Online

The world of internet connectivity has its dangers… con-men, thieves and hackers, masters of deception who use innovative techniques to steal your identity and personal information for their own gain.

Francois Marais, a director of the South African Institute of Security Studies, is an expert on the dangers of identity theft. His organisation assists victims and aids law enforcement through seminars on the subject, offering useful tips on how to avoid being a victim. Offering some advice regarding good practices online to avoid falling victim to Identity Theft, Francois confirms that banks will never send an email requesting that you follow a link to the online banking site, but this is common trick employed by con men. Marais explains that the site linked is in all probability a dummy site enabling criminals to lift your private information and if successful, would enable them to empty your bank account. To ensure the secure site was in fact secure, the padlock icon at the bottom of the window should be checked and check that the URL address begins with ‘https’ not ‘http’ — where ‘s’ means encrypted. He also emphasises the importance of never replying to phishing mails. These are messages sent in bulk to random e-mail addresses. Often, “People will reply because they get frustrated, they’ll say ‘leave me alone, stop sending these messages’, but that is just firm confirmation that the address is active. They will then bombard that address with phishing mails.” Marais warns that phishing mails would try to tempt people with the promise of financial gain, or scare people by telling them that money was owing, or had been taken out of their account. He said social networking was also being used whereby phishing messages were sent through a friend’s account which had been compromised. He also advised the public to always question why personal information was required and give false information when suspicious. People should regularly check their credit history and arrange to receive banking text message notifications for withdrawals. Marais said, “Fraudsters will often test the waters first, taking small amounts to see if you notice.”Most important of all, be vigilant and if you are suspicious in any way, don’t engage further and contact you bank security immediately.

To find out more, visit: kudough.co.za

BACK TO SUB CATEGORY LIST