Top tips to avoid online scams

Online scams are schemes to con you out of your money using your computer and the internet, either through fake websites or emails. Here are ways you can protect yourself.

To protect your identity and cash from online scammers :

• Only allow someone to remotely access your computer if they are from a trusted source, such as your internet service provider.
•  Create passwords which are long, unique and use a mix of random numbers and lower and upper case letters.
• Use antivirus software and keep it up to date. This will check for malicious computer programs and monitor files before they are opened. Up-to-date software is important to protect against the most recent viruses.
•  Understand what software you are installing on your computer or phone and make sure you are using a secure site when you buy software. A secure site will have a web address beginning with https, not http.
• Make sure you leave your firewall switched on. A firewall is a security shield that stops scammers getting into your computer. Operating systems such as Windows come with built in firewall settings. They can monitor and warn you of unexpected access to your computer.