It can present issues of safety though. Whether you want to think about it or not, the internet is rife with cyber-crime. Sharing so much of our lives – and our data – online puts us at serious risk if we are not careful. This article will detail some of the ways in which you can protect yourself when using the internet for work or play.
Online Gaming
There is a risk with all forms of online gaming, but the ones involving financial transactions present the most danger. That means types of real-money gaming such as online casinos. These are very popular and there is no reason why you should not enjoy them. Just make sure to apply the following safety measures when doing so.
Check for a licence
An online casino should always have a licence visible on its website. This licence must be from an official industry regulator like the UK Gambling Commission or the Malta Gaming Authority.One way to double-check if the licence is real is to find out where the casino site is based. If the source of the licensing matches that location, it is likely to be genuine.
Read review sites
A gambling licence is a good start, but as mentioned by Casino.org, it is not an absolute guarantee of casino quality or safety. The next step that you should take is to read the reports about the casino at a reputable review site.This kind of report should go into detail about every aspect of the casino. That means its data security software; its payment options and anything else that can impact your online safety.
Choose a review site that focuses on hard facts and that has up-to-date information.
Buying Tickets
Most of the tickets for live shows are bought and sold online these days. That opens up the potential for falling victim to scams.
Cyber criminals often target events where there is a big demand for tickets. They rely on people being so desperate to land them that they fail to take sensible precautions. Here is how you can stay safe.
Insist on seller information
It is always best to buy your tickets from an established seller, but if that is not possible you can still insist on them providing basic information. If they refuse to disclose their identity, you should consider that the end of the deal. Try to get social media details if you can and then use their messaging functions for communicating. That will be an extra level of proof that they are who they claim to be.Transact using PayPal
This will not necessarily protect you from ticket fraud, but it will make getting the money back easier. That is due to the buyer protections offered by PayPal.Travelling
Travelling to exotic locations is exciting and fun, but you should not neglect your data security. Taking electronic devices that are full of sensitive personal information to foreign countries can pose real safety risks.
That does not mean you have to stay at home though. Just abide by these simple travel security rules and you should be fine.
Back-up your data
Before you leave on your trip, all important data should be backed up. It must be kept in storage somewhere that is totally secure.Limit your devices
The fewer devices you have with you, the lower the risk will be. Try to limit yourself to just one or two and install additional security like pass-codes and two-step verification.Online Shopping
The last activity where you need to protect yourself online is when shopping. Here are the steps that you should take.
Avoid public internet connections
Online retail sites such as Amazon give you the freedom to order goods from any location. That does not mean it is sensible to do that though.Public internet connections in cafes and libraries are much more vulnerable to cyber-crime than private ones. If you want to indulge in safe shopping online, wait until you are using your own connection.
Check website authenticity
There are simple ways of checking whether an e-commerce site is authentic or not. The URL should begin with ‘https’ and there should be a padlock icon. This confirms that it is secure.Doing things online can be fun and safe as long as you take the appropriate security precautions. Just make sure that you are always sensible.