How to protect yourself from common online scams

PINETOWN police are warning the public about the high incidence of financial crimes and the large number of online scammers in the country.

Jennifer Naidu, a communications officer at Pinetown SAPS, advises the public to always take extra safety measures when they are online. Naidu also shares tips for the public to avoid being victims of online scammers.

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She says the country has a high incidence of financial crime and a large number of scammers who constantly come up with new schemes, making it impossible to detail every sort of scam.

“We are urging the public to beware of fraudsters posing as employees of higher education institutions. Criminals solicit bribes in exchange for fake admission and bogus accommodation. We also advise the public to beware of SIM-swamp scams,” Naidu says.

Tips to protect yourself from the most common scams are:

• Do not reply to calls, emails or texts that request personal information.
• Use two-factor authentication.
• Lock your mobile phone with a unique in-lock method, such as a Pin.
• Protect your SIM card with a Pin.
• Do not overshare your mobile phone number online.
• Act immediately when you detect suspicious activity.

Create strong passwords:

• Make it at least 12 characters long, but 14 or more is better.
• Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.
• Do not use the name of a person, character, product or organisation.
• Make it significantly different from your previous password.

Secure your passwords:

• Do not share a password with anyone.
• Never send a password via email or instant message.
• Use a unique password for each website.
• Change your passwords immediately if you suspect they may have been compromised.

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