Headlights on scams

As an online business, we understand the importance ofsecurity. Every day there are more and more online scams appearing that arebecoming harder to detect. Sometimes it is not until you receive your bankstatement that you realise you have been a victim. Fortunately, there aremeasures you can take to protect yourself.

How to spot a scam,hoax and unsolicited email

Any emails or websites you receive from unknown people orcompanies need to be treated with caution. Good indicators of suspiciouscontent are promises of money, good health or solutions to your problems.  It s important to remember that anything thatappears too good to be true usually is just that.

How to avoid scams,hoaxes and unsolicited emails

The best approach is to delete suspicious material,especially emails and websites that:

• Ask you to provide your banking details, personalinformation or promise you money
• Present hard luck that you can share in hidden millions of dollars
• Offer you a job where you need no qualifications, but justask for a bank account for money transfers

When online, it s imperative that you remember to:

• Never provide personal details via emails or links fromemails. If you are unsure, contact the organisation by telephone
• Only open attachments from a known source even if yourecognise the sender address
• Never follow the links in spam emails as these could lead todownloaded unwanted viruses or spyware
• Ensure that your computer s anti-virus and anti-spywaresoftware is up-to-date. It is also recommended to install a firewall, whichneeds to be updated regularly.

For more information on internet fraud, click here. 

While the internet has opened up so many opportunities forindividuals and organisations, the risk of fraud deepens, so caution mustalways be taken.