Surf safely

There are so many things we can do online now, bank online, chat with friends, do our weekly food shop and buy gifts. You can take steps to protect your identity and passwords.  

1. Limit the information you make public on social networking sites

Identity thieves piece together small pieces of information you publish about yourself online. If you allow people to see your date of birth, mobile phone number, address and family information they may be able to steal your identity. Find out more about safe social networking.

2. Use strong passwords

A good password should be longer than seven characters and contain a mix of letters and numbers. You should also not use your name, username or something too obvious as a password.  You should never use the same password for everything and you should change your passwords every few months. 

3. Look after your passwords

In the same way you would protect your PIN for your bankcards, keep your online passwords safe. Never let your passwords be known to anyone. If you believe they may have been compromised change them as soon as you can.

4. Be aware of phishing scams

Be on your guard if you receive emails asking for your personal information or online banking sign in details, especially if they are threatening to suspend or limit access to your account.

Do not choose an email address such as 'joe_green@example.com' that shows your identity, this could be used to make a phishing email look genuine.
 
Find out more about phishing / scam emails.

5. Check you are on a secure website

Never enter credit card / bank account details without checking you are on a secure web page when buying goods and services online.

Secure web pages will have a web address starting https:// and there will be a padlock symbol in the bottom right hand corner of the browser window.

If you're uncertain about a website you can check the website’s Security Certificate by double clicking the padlock on a secure web page. To be sure how they will record and use your personal details you should also look for and read their Licence Agreements and Privacy Statements.