New smart phone or tablet for Christmas? Read our top tips on how to keep safe.

Keeping them safe

• Never leave your smartphone or tablet unattended in a public place or office.
• Do not leave your device unsecured in a hotel room when you go out – instead lock it in the safe.
• Do not get distracted by strangers in a public place when your phone is on a table or in an open handbag or briefcase.
• Do not leave smartphones and tablets on view through windows and glass doors.
• Never leave smartphones or tablets visible in a car. Even if you are in the car, your laptop could be vulnerable to theft when you are stationary (for example, whilst parking or at traffic lights).
• Always password-protect access to your smart phone or tablet
• Fingerprint recognition offers a degree of safety, but there is still no substitute for a well-devised and protected password or PIN.
• Be careful how you dispose of packaging that might advertise that you have a new smartphone

Protecting your Mobile Device

Apple devices are becoming a more popular target for fraudsters, meaning that you should install internet security whatever your device.   For personal and home office use there are a number of choices that you can take to decide which internet security app to download. Whichever you choose, make sure it is a reputable brand from a mainstream supplier, and get the best you can afford. Here are a few of the best-known suppliers, but please note we are not recommending one over the others:

Norton, Kaspersky, McAfee, Bullguard, Sophos, AVG, Avast, Bitdefender.

It is important to download updates for security apps as soon as you are prompted to guard against new malware.

Safe Public Wifi

• Unless you are using a secure web page, do not send or receive private information when using public Wifi.
• Wherever possible, use well-known, commercial hotspot providers such as BT OpenZone or T-Mobile.
• Business people wishing to access their corporate network should use a secure, encrypted Virtual Private Network (VPN)

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