Category: Guidance

Santander Security Advice

Like the other big banks, Santander do offer advice to their customers on how to avoid the scourge of online fraud.

https://www.santander.co.uk/uk/help-support/security-centre/keeping-yourself-secure

Santander say “We take every step possible to keep your finances and personal details safe. However, you play an important role too. Together we can make life really difficult for would-be criminals”.

There is a list of common threats and a basic description of each and tips on staying safe online.

The common threats Santander focus on are:-

  • Remote Access Scam
  • Tech support scams
  • Telephone scam/courier scam
  • Free trial offer scam
  • Guide to Invoice Fraud
  • Text message phishing (smishing)
  • Phishing
  • Mule accounts
  • Cheque fraud
  • Investment fraud / share sale
  • 419 / advance fee fraud
  • Trojans (Malware)
  • Spoofing – The caller ID scam
  • Pension scams

If you’re a Santander customer, you can ask them for specific advice about staying safe online and if you find irregularities in your account then do let them know ASAP.

If you have any experiences with scammers, spammers or time-waster do let me know, by email.

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Check Who’s Using Your Wi-Fi

If your connection to your home Wi-Fi always seems sluggish – maybe someone is accessing it who shouldn’t be.

If you unplug the router for a few minutes, that will remove anyone connected to it, but only until you reconnect the router then your devices and possibly someone else can connect again.

If you think someone has access to your Wi-Fi who shouldn’t have, and knows the passcode then you need to change the passcode.

If there is still reason to suspect someone is accessing your WI-FI without your permission, then there are steps  you can take to identify the culprit.

Check the Router Access List

You will need to login to your router. The instructions when you got the router will tell you how to do this and it may also say on the back of the device. These instructions differ for each router.

You will need to know its IP address (plus login and password) and then you can access from any computer browser.

The router will show you a list of devices currently attached to it and usually enough information for you to recognise who the devices belong to.

You will see something similar to this

Wired Devices
MAC Address IP Address Device Name Time Connected
54:21:XX:XX:XX:XX 195.179.0.2 Erica’s PC 2 days 4 hours 31 minutes
Wireless Devices
54:21:XX:XX:XX:XX 190.161.0.9 Chromecast 45 minutes
54:21:XX:XX:XX:XX 190.161.0.8 Android Phone 140927271 1 day 12 minutes
54:21:XX:XX:XX:XX 190.161.0.7 iPAD 35 minutes

The device name will hopefully tell you enough to identify the owner of the device but if you have several Android phones in the house, for example, then it may not be enough.

What to do if you find an unauthorised device

If you have not set the router to encrypt the data then make that change and try again.

If you still seem to have an interloper then that person must have hacking skills and you would need to invest time and money in a network monitoring or employ an expert to trace the interloper for you.

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How to keep your home wi-fi safe

Internet broadband comes into your home by means of a cable from outside. That cable is connected to a small box in your home called a router.  That router allows you to have Wi-Fi and cable network connections for your computers and other devices including televisions, iPads, mobile phones etc.

Router Login

You can login to the router from your computer using an IP address and a login and password.

You cannot change its IP address but you can and should change the login and password as soon as possible.

How you make that change depends on the make of router you have, which is determined by broadband supplier but is generally a straightforward process. The instructions with the router will explain how to do this.

Do not write the password down and leave it near to the router and of course do not tell anyone who you do not wish to have access to your Wi-Fi.

The router has various settings which are probably fine when you first receive the device but you may need to change if getting conflicts with the neighbours Wi-Fi for example.

Your router may have remote management facilities meaning that the broadband supplier can access it to make changes. It may be best to turn off this feature, but that would mean your supplier cannot access it either.

Wi-Fi and Encryption

Login to your router.

Locate the “Wireless Security” or “Wireless Network” settings page.

Select WPA2-PSK encryption.

Choose a network name that doesn’t specify your house number or name.

Choose a strong network password or pass number i.e. one that no-one could guess.

Save these settings

You will need to reconnect your devices to the Wi-Fi using the new password or pass number.

Protect your router and Wi-Fi against outsiders.

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Paypal Two Step Verification

Logins and passwords are normal practice to let a valid user identify themselves.

But there are times where this is not a strong enough security and two-factor security adds another layer, thereby making it much more difficult for anyone else to access your account.

Two factor security means that in addition to the password, another security code of some form is needed. In the case of PayPal, that second code is a pin number sent to your mobile phone.

For anyone to access your PayPal account they would need both your password and your mobile phone.

Two factor security is available on many online services and banks e.g. Facebook. Google, Apple etc. We’re using PayPal as an example.

How to Setup 2 Factor Security in PayPal

PayPal call this Security Key.

  1. Log into your PayPal account.
  2. If your mobile phone number has already been verified by PayPal then that step is complete, otherwise you will need to key in your mobile number and verify it for PayPal. This is done through the Account page off the Profile and Settings menu
  3. To activate PayPal Security Key go to Profile – Profile and Settings – Account Settings – Security and you can start the process.

Once completed, you will always need that phone when you want to access PayPal but you will be more secure.

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Free Website Audit Report

There are numerous versions of the basic email message about a free website audit.

This is because most of these messages aren’t from professional scammers but from people desperate to get work in the fields of website design, search engine optimisation, digital advertising etc.

The problem with these emails is that they are often full of lies. People seem to think it is acceptable to lie when writing Sales/Marketing messages BUT IT ISN’T.

An example from one of the more courteous versions sent to the radio station.

 “Hope you are fine. I was going through your website and I found it impressive!!! However when I search for your business keywords I see your competitors ranked on 1st page whereas I am unable to see your website anywhere on the 1st page of Google.

Then lots of stuff about why you have to be on the 1st page of Google to be noticed.

The website URL is never mentioned therefore he hasn’t looked at it.

He hasn’t searched for our business keywords as he clearly doesn’t know what they are.

He says our competitors are on 1st page Google.

What competitors are those? He clearly has no idea.

Then a list of issues with our website and these issues are all very general as he has not looked at our site and hopes by luck to find a fault that either our site does have or one that would worry us.

  • Low online presence for many competitive keywords
  • Unorganised social media accounts
  • Not compatible with all mobile devices

Then he mentions the audit report for our website which he has already prepared and will send us free of charge.

There is software that will automatically analyse websites and prepare a list of recommendations.

Presumably he could use such software to prepare a report if we actually replied saying we wanted to see it.

The whole email is a pack of lies, sadly. The company name and email address seem to be genuine and based in India and Singapore but that’s the only true part.

If you want website design, SEO or other such services then find a local company that has good customer reviews and can provide what you want but never reply to or try working with people who send out such blatant lies.

If you want a free audit report of your website – there are numerous ones available on the Internet, but do understand the reports are generic and every website is different which the automatic reports cannot recognise.

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GDPR has Landed

GDPR is the latest EU regulation intended to give consumers better protection for their personal information held by government, businesses and any other organisations.

And today’s the day it becomes Law.

GDPR may make a worthwhile difference for consumers as it puts pressure (and the threat of large penalties) on businesses to use clear concise language, make it clear what they want your data for and exactly how it will be used, ensure they have your consent for such messages and give you an easy route to making them delete all personal information.

You’ve probably had requests recently in the post or online from businesses wanting to stay in touch with you after today. This is because from today they have to show that you chose to allow them to contact you – not just assume it was OK as often happened in the past.

Plus many are taking the opportunity to revamp their policies over Marketing messages etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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