SmartBanking Blog

Internet Safety

                It’s a brave new world, and the internet is king. Everyday hundreds of millions of people use the internet for most facets of their lives. From connecting with distant family members to shopping and everything in between, the internet takes in all this data and stores it. The saying “the internet is forever” has never been truer. However, there are many bad actors in the world looking to take advantage of your internet use for their own nefarious purposes. So, how do you keep yourself safe on the internet?

                Internet safety is all about being conscious about what you put out on the internet and cautious about how you use it. Let’s look at a couple of ways you can do both.

Be Conscious

1. Be careful what you share on social media. There are many scammers who look to gather personal details about your life. They will then use those details like family members’ names and locations to try to extort money from you.
2. A lot of websites and apps will now ask you to enable location sharing services. Most of the time this is completely unnecessary information to share with the platform for it to function properly. Remember that if a platform has access to your location data, anyone who breaches that platform can also get that information. Your best bet is to turn off location sharing for most platforms.
3. Be extremely suspicious of strangers. It seems obvious that we should be suspicious of strangers who reach out to us via the internet, but in 2025 there are some legitimate reasons to use the internet to connect with people we do not know. It can be an excellent form of networking. However, you should be extremely cautious about where you meet these people and what you share with them. If someone reaches out to you via social media about a job opportunity, you should ask yourself why they are not trying to contact you on a legitimate platform for networking like LinkedIn. Furthermore, there is no reason to share personal identifying information with this person. If they ask, you should exercise extreme caution and end the conversation.

Be Cautious

1. Strong passwords are your best friend when it comes to internet safety. They are your first line of defense against those looking to breach your account and steal your information. Strong passwords include a mixture of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, symbols, and words not found in the dictionary.
2. Clicking on links may seem harmless, but they are one of the main ways scammers are able to access your data through phishing. Always hover over any links and double check what website it will direct you to. If you are unsure about a link, go to the company’s website through a search mechanism rather than the link provided. Finally, never click the link of someone who you have not initiated contact with. Anyone who messages you out of the blue and asks you to click a link is more than likely a scammer.
3. Consider enabling multi-factor authentication and privacy settings wherever possible. Internet safety relies on you keeping your data secure. The more steps it takes to gain access to that data, the more secure it is!

The internet is an excellent tool, and it has many positives. However, it is also a hotbed for people looking to commit fraud. With these simple guidelines, you can help keep yourself and your loved ones safe on the internet.

Sources:

https://www.staysafeonline.org/articles/what-is-data-privacy-and-why-should-you-care