The internet can make shopping, banking, and other vital services more accessible than ever before, and it makes it easy to keep in regular contact with friends and family. When learning how to make the most of the internet, it’s important that seniors educate themselves on the potential risks they face online so they don’t fall victim to scams, fraud, or theft. If you’re a senior who wants to stay safe online, follow these four practical tips.

1. Use strong passwords

It’s tempting to use short, simple passwords for online accounts to make them memorable, but these are easy to hack. You should also avoid using significant names, dates, places, sports teams, or any other personal details that could be found on your social media profile by cyber criminals.

The National Cyber Security Centre recommends creating passwords from three random words, such as “glassespaintrain”. This trick means your passwords easily become long and unusual enough to remain secure, and you’ll have an easier time remembering them compared to a string of random characters and numbers.

2. Turn on two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication is where a website or app asks for your password and an extra form of identification to access your account. The ID could be your fingerprint or face scan if using your phone, or a single-use passcode sent to your phone via text or automated phone call.

You should set up two-factor authentication on any site or app that contains sensitive personal data such as your address, credit card details, and health information.

3. Avoid public Wi-Fi when using banking apps

The number of bank and building society branches in the UK fell by 40% between 2012 and 2022, which means that safe access to online banking is more important than ever before. Avoid logging into online bank accounts while your device is connected to a public Wi-Fi network, such as in a café, shopping centre, or train station. Doing so will prevent other people on the same network from being able to access your details.

You should also avoid giving your full online banking password and PIN to anyone, including customer service representatives from the bank, either over the phone or in person. Banks will only ever ask you for specific characters when running security checks, such as the first and fifth characters of your password.

4. Avoid clicking links in emails

Phishing scams are where criminals pose as legitimate organisations to lure victims into providing their sensitive data such as passwords and credit card information. Email is the most common method of phishing, but text-based phishing scams, known as “smishing”, increased by 700% in the first half of 2021.

Fraudulent texts and emails often mimic the branding and format of those sent by legitimate organisations, which means they can be hard to spot. The simplest way to stay safe is to avoid clicking links in emails and texts. Instead, type the organisation’s official web address into your browser directly or search the organisation’s name in Google to find their official website. This ensures you log into the real site rather than a fraudulent imitation.

Get savvy with internet safety

The more you learn about internet safety, the more confident you’ll feel about making the most of online services and resources. Be sure to put these four tips into practice and try to stay informed about the latest internet safety protocols.

If you would like any more tips from Red Deer Village on how to stay safe online, please contact us. Keeping our residents happy and safe in all aspects is our top priority!

Author: Comparethemarket
Picture credit: Unsplash