Feature
Internet Safety: Eas
By CALEB O’CONNOR
The internet is a staple of everyday life. But since 2020, we’ve seen a massive change in its use and the difficulties we run into. These range from online shopping scams to demands of immediate password change to being told your computer will be frozen if you don’t pay. Thankfully, internet safety is easy when you know what to look for. Scams First off, why does this happen? How do people like this get a hold of your email or phone number? There are a few ways; • Some companies sell data to data brokers, who in turn sell this data in illicit spaces to people who aim to scam. • Some scammers use harvesting software to collect data from websites and gather it into lists that are sold off. • Data breaches and leaks.
they seem, the more likely we are to panic, and scammers rely on panic. These provocative subject lines try to force our hand and make us click links that ultimately take us to dodgy versions of real websites. In some cases, as seen more and more recently, there are text versions of these messages that demand we pay customs on a package that we aren’t expecting or even a “hi mum, I’m texting off my friends phone” text that has done the rounds towards the end of 2023. How can you tell genuine contact from criminal activity? Ask “was I expecting this?” Have you ordered something online? Have you requested a password change?
Illicit sources getting your details is not the end of the world, however! Most often, scams appeal with a sense of urgency; “Your card has been frozen because of suspicious activity” “Action Required: your payment was declined” “Google: Password Expiration Notice” Like any con, the more urgent
Never click links in messages or emails you do not trust. These links are likely to take you to a lookalike of the site you expect, and will request your login to disguise themselves as you to take further data, if not outright request your card details.
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that they will never contact you to confirm details. Reputable organisations will not prompt you to reset your password without reason. Ask “Who is sending this?” Check who the email is from. In many cases, at a glance, the emails will look eerily close to the real ones, but read carefully. This is also of use when receiving strange texts. When receiving texts from organisations such as AIB, BOI, or An Post, the contact will appear as their name whether or not you have saved the number. Scammers attempt to catch you with that panic, and the first words of the text will be the organisation, rather than the organisation being
Ask “would they do this?” Bank of Ireland and other such companies have publicly stated
Issue 107 February 9th, 2024
