Who will you blame if you wake up one day with no job and no money on your bank card? Yourself. That is if you don’t follow Internet safety tips. Global broker OctaFX outlines the do’s and don’ts to stay safe online.
With scammers gaining ground on the internet every year and their schemes becoming more sophisticated, it’s not always easy to avoid being hacked or scammed. However, OctaFX global broker knows how to protect your sensitive information from theft. He will gladly share some of the most important Internet safety tips. But first, a little history.
Meet Viraj. He is a regular user of online stores. Some time ago, Viraj registered an account with one of those stores. When signing up, he used his work email address and the password he used everywhere: Qwerty123. He made a purchase on the site with his bank card, which he then added to his account.
Two weeks later, Viraj decided to check out his banking app, anticipating another round of late-night online shopping. His salary had to be waiting for him in his account. To his astonishment, the money was not there. Viraj was ready to start calling his company’s finance department in righteous anger when he reviewed his card transaction history. His heart sank. There was a $500 purchase that he never made. Someone bought a smartphone on the site he had signed up for two weeks ago. In addition, the smartphone was already picked up at one of the store’s branches in your city.
Viraj was devastated, to say the least. But that was only the beginning of his misfortunes. Suddenly, his colleague came up to him and said, ‘Viraj, are you selling our customer database on the Internet? There’s your name! Viraj only had time to mutter, “It’s not me,” before seeing his boss standing in front of him, ready, it seemed, to burn him with her gaze. ‘You are fired!’ was the last thing Viraj heard before he blacked out and… woke up.
‘Ugh… It was just a dream,’ Viraj said to himself. ‘But how could all this happen?’
Let us analyze the case of Viraj. The first thing he did wrong was sign in anywhere with your work email address. While some of us may work hard to the point of mixing our work and living spaces, it’s unprofessional and dangerous to use your work email for personal use.
The second mistake Viraj made was his clave. Was only too easy to figure out, since it was one of the most common passwords in the world. Viraj had to be much more creative when setting a password or using a password generator. And no, ‘Viraj123’ wouldn’t be better. Something like ‘B{6{2BP2vG’ would be great.
Another mistake was that Viraj used the same password everywhere. Even if you use a very complex password, someone could see it in a note on your desk or on the “saved passwords” page on the computer you used only once. If they use it, they could hack all your accounts at once.
The fourth mistake Viraj made was add your bank card to your store account. The hackers used it to their advantage and got a new smartphone. The fact that it was Viraj’s main bank card made it worse: it meant he had all of his money on it.
We can assume that Viraj made his last mistake while surfing the Internet. He probably did it using a unsecured internet connection or only I downloaded some malware, making it easy for hackers to access your accounts. Alternatively, considering his very common password, it could be anyone who knew his email address, even competitors of the company he worked for.
So, here are five OctaFX security tips every internet user should keep in mind:
● Don’t use your work email address for personal use. Preferably use multiple personal email addresses.
● Always use strong passwords. Lots of strong passwords. Ideally, each of your accounts should have its own password. Use password managers like KeePass to store your passwords.
● Do not store your bank cards in any online store. When buying something on the Internet, make sure that the site you are using is reliable and safe.
● Do not use public Wi-Fi or any other public network when signing in to important accounts.
● Don’t follow suspicious links and don’t download suspicious email attachments that you haven’t seen before.
After learning the tips above, Viraj knew how to protect himself against scammers and hackers on the Internet. In addition, he helped his company implement important security measures and got a promotion.
Stay safe when browsing the Internet and don’t forget your new passwords! Next time, we’ll explore the world of online phishing and scams and how to spot them.
About OctaFX
OctaFX is a global broker that has been providing online trading services worldwide since 2011. It offers everything one needs to achieve their investment goals, providing top-notch conditions that are already used by clients from more than 150 countries around the world.
The company is involved in a comprehensive network of charitable and humanitarian initiatives, including improving educational infrastructure, short-term relief projects, supporting local communities and small and medium-sized businesses.
As a side note, OctaFX has also won over 45 awards since its founding, including Global Banking & Finance Review’s 2021 ‘Best Forex Broker Asia’ award and World Finance’s 2021 ‘Best ECN Broker’ award.