Protect yourself from fraud

UK National Identity Fraud Prevention Week is almost at its end but fraud prevention is something internet users should always be vigilant about. The site www.stop-idfraud.co.uk gives details on how you can protect your personal details and that of your business. There is also a new Get Safe Online campaign which gives a full range of tips on how to protect yourself online. But why is it so important to be aware of this?

Only last week more than 20,000 email account username and passwords as well as other credentials were leaked online from providers including Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo. Phishing was most likely to blame in the compilation of this list. What’s worrying is that people often use the same password for everything which means fraudsters could potential access someone’s online banking.

Following on the theme of fraud and being safe online, the One Show on BBC had a segment last night on auction website scams to look out for. You can read more about what they talked about on the BBC website where there is a summery of some of the most common scams including counterfeits, lost post and second chance offers.