This week is get safe online week 2018. During the week, Council and Police Scotland have asked members of the public to make sure that they protect themselves online and be aware of what you share.
These days, thanks to the internet it’s easier than ever to share: what you’re doing, how you’re feeling, your likes, dislikes, passions and interests. As well as this, we can share information and updates about yourself, family and friends. In other words, keeping everyone up to date about your life.
By giving away information about yourself and others, you are providing potential criminals with the details they need.
Councillor Archie Dryburgh, chair of the Council’s Economy, Environment and Infrastructure committee said “It’s good to share, but some things are best kept to yourself. This week is an opportunity to think about the information you share online. Are you in danger of oversharing your personal information? We want everyone to be safe online by making sure your personal information is protected. The focus of this week is to make sure your details are safe. Check what information you have online and make sure that you are not oversharing your personal details. Our Trading Standards team frequently get calls from members of the public in relation to online scams. Although out team does monitor social media for any scams, making sure your personal information is safe will go a long way to helping keep the scammers away.”
Vice Chair, Andrew Wood, said “unfortunately, online crime is becoming more common. The ways that scammers are targeting people are becoming more sophisticated and that is why Get Safe Online week is a good opportunity to make sure that the information that the personal information that we have online doesn’t put us at risk. We are encouraging everyone to review their information online so that they don’t become a victim.”
Constable Adam Potts of Police Scotland said “a lot of the calls we receive from the public are now social media related, and to be honest many of them could have been avoided with just a little bit of care in relation to the way people use social media. It’s really quite simple, you wouldn’t place an advert in the local paper to tell everyone that you are going off on holiday for two weeks – so why does it seem okay to post this information on your Facebook page? Do you really know who is looking at your information? The simple answer is a big NO. So take care with social media – think before you post, because once it’s out there, you have lost control of it.”
