How To Stay Safe On The Web

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So so many people get online nowadays they think that they are completely safe from anything that may happen to them. And you would be thinking that they are. But why be worrying yourself out of your mind when there are measures to take to ensure that you stay safe? It’s simple but effective.

They are going to give you the precautions but the actual safety lies in being able to know how to handle yourself in a safe manner. You don’t have to worry about what people may do to your computer – after all if you have the right software than you have all the precautions you need to keep you safe from these unwanted elements.

Let me give you some advice here –

Get a good virus scan software – There are thousand of them out there that you can download – Make sure that your subscription is updated and that you are using the most up to date virus definitions.

Don’t open anything that is unexpected or unexpected shouldn’t be opened if you are using a public computer then why not check the site first to see that they may be up to no good.

If you are using a private computer then you have to make sure that you search your hard drive for a file or find some way to delete a file that may be a virus. This is NOT my advice – I have plenty of proof that it works. Please do not send me emails requesting legal advice or telling me if I have won a prize. This is not a good way to deal with someone who wants to know how to handle you.

If you accidentally do download a file then don’t open it, NOT even if it is an .exe from your website. Open an .doc if it is a legal document and if someone else sent you it then you may be inviting disaster. Simply delete it!

promulgate a security plan – This is a step I have often recommended as the most effective way to stop people going on your hard drive. Simply tell everyone that you have downloaded files that may be questionable. Set a time frame and don’t be afraid to take action if you think the situation is not looking good.

Speak out if you feel uncomfortable – This is a good way of letting the person know that you are uncomfortable with what they are doing to your computer. You cannot always be sure that you are talking to the person in a safe manner as there are times that people may not understand that you are not comfortable with them spying on your computer.

Prefer not to use the links in your inbox from companies you have never heard of – Some companies that send you unsolicited emails have links that they send to their friends and men. These links could be redirected, which would take you to a bad website.

When you click the link you are taken to a site that looks identical to the bad website, with the intention of stealing your personal information. For example, you go to a site having heard that a certain company is offering a certain product for sale. You will be asked to update your account information for their records and when you do they are after your credit card number, and other personal information that they can use to steal your identity.

Send an email first – Before you click on any link in the email, make sure that you have got the actual company’s website URL correct. If you are not sure that you are going to click on the link, call the company first to see if they requested that you to do this.

When you get to the site that the link doesn’t take you – Don’t go to the company’s website, but go to a site that has been verified to be secure.

Disclose what personal information is – Make sure that you are comfortable with what personal information is reported to you. If you are not sure that this is something that could interest you, then you need to call the bank or credit card company and ask them if this is a report that they would like you to sign off on.

Make sure that your site is secure – One way to know that your site is secure is if you see a lockbox on your site. When you get to a page that asks for your personal information – looks for the “lockbox” and you should see a lockbox word on the bottom of your browser window.

Don’t respond to email requests for personal information – This is another way that scammers will try to get personal information from you. Don’t reply to emails that request your personal information or give them permission to do so.

If in doubt – Call the bank or credit card company to confirm whether they requested that personal information or not.

Following these steps may seem like a lot of work, but the fact is that if you are an online buyer and you want to make sure that your information is safe, this is the right way to do it.

Happy Shopping.

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