Each day this week, in the build up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we’ll be offering you tips and advice to stay as safe as possible when shopping online.

Be Aware of Public Wi-Fi Dangers
Free public Wi-Fi may be easy and convenient, but there is nothing stopping a cyber criminal setting up a fake hotspot. Connecting to a fake hotspot could allow criminals to see ALL of the information you are entering; including usernames, passwords and bank account information.

If you do connect to any Wi-Fi, it is particularly important to not do any online shopping or banking on this.

If you must shop through public Wi-Fi, always use a VPN (virtual private network).

VPNs keeps all the data travelling between your device and the retailer’s payment portal encrypted. This means criminals won’t be able to see the information you are entering.

Also, if you have a decent data plan, use your smartphone and your mobile 3G or 4G connection rather than public Wi-Fi when out and about.

The dangers of public Wi-Fi can be seen in the video below by Barclays.

More information on the dangers, and safety precautions, surrounding public wi-fi can be found on the Get Safe Online website.

Don’t Forget
Complete the new 2016 Cyber Crime survey, so we can see the full scope of Cyber Crime in Warwickshire, and across West Mercia and the West Midlands – https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/RegionalCyber16

For more information about our work, please visit www.safeinwarwickshire.com/cybercrime

Cyber Aware is a cross-government campaign, funded by the National Cyber Security Programme. They aim to measurably and significantly improve the online safety behaviour and confidence of consumers and small businesses (SMEs).

Get Safe Online is the UK’s leading source of factual and easy-to-understand information on online safety. Their website offers advice on how you can protect yourself, your computers and devices, and your business against the likes of fraud, identity theft, viruses and other potential online problems.

ThinkUKnow is a national website which offers tailored advice to young people about online safety concerns. There is also a section on there if you are a parent/carer or a teacher who is concerned about a young person’s safety online.