Danger lurks on the Internet

#Middlebury #SeniorNewsLine #OnlineScammers

How can you keep from falling prey to online scammers? It’s getting more difficult every day.

One step you can take to stay safe is to slow down. Use bookmarks for the sites you regularly visit. That will keep you from accidentally typing in the wrong name in a rush. Type in even one letter wrong, and it may send you to a fake site that looks identical to the one you want to visit. Once there, you might be willing to sign in because you think you’re in the right place.

In a scheme called typo-squatting, scammers register domain names that are spelled incorrectly because they know there are common misspellings. Even big names like Google, Apple and Microsoft have been hit with typo-squatting. Only bank online if you’re very sure of the safety. (Better idea: Don’t do online banking.)

Here are more steps to take to stay safe:

• Have a long password, at least eight characters, and be sure to have symbols and numbers in it for any site where you need to sign in.
• Beware putting your credit-card number on an online retail site. (Better idea: Call in your order instead. Talk to a person.)
• If you’re on a social site, don’t upload photos unless you know for certain that the location information has been stripped from them. Use a fun screen name that isn’t your own name. Never announce you’ll be away on vacation. That would sound like an invitation to a scammer who can figure out where you live. (It’s not difficult.)
• Keep the grandchildren off your computer unless you have a child safety program running, such as CyberSitter. (Better idea: Have computer games they can play, but turn off the Internet.)
• Keep your privacy settings on high.

(c) 2018 King Features Synd. Inc.