People have been preying on other people since the dawn of time. Whether they have stolen their goods, cheated them to get the same goods or attacked them to take them forcefully, people aren’t strangers to violence and malicious intent.
In the digital world, things are a bit more nuanced and a lot more subtle. For example, you might get an email from a company, which would seem completely legit, but the address would not be, or there would be small giveaways in the text written, or the image which was most certainly falsified. An experienced internet user would notice those things immediately, or rather, they wouldn’t, because they would most likely never get these mails in the first place.
Here is a short guide on how to stay safe online.
Familiarize Yourself with the Internet
The internet is a vast place where you can find the most beautiful things and the scariest things, sometimes at the same time. Registering, for example, at a fake casino site could mean that you lose a ton of money. Luckily, there are sites which review casino sites, and blacklist those which scam customers or have problems paying them money when they win. Promo codes, like this bet9ja promotion code, are another example. One with clear instructions and a link to the site, should be okay, provided that the URL is right. A fake one would take you through loops and hoops to get you to somewhere where you wouldn’t want to be, let alone spend your money. The best way to stay safe online is to stay offline, but since that is not possible for most people, then you should get to know how the internet works, and where you might get scammed. Doing research on this topic is recommended, as well as a couple more steps.
Install an Antivirus
Long gone are the days when Windows, one of the most popular operating systems, had no antivirus tools. The current generation of Windows, Windows 10, is equipped with Windows Defender, a tool which can keep you safe from plenty of viruses and malicious programs. Downloading a third-party tool can keep you safer, since Windows doesn’t really prioritize safety (or stability, for that matter). Linux users and Mac users should be better, as well as Android users.
Don’t Download or Install Stuff from Untrusted Sites
Some antivirus tools have the option to rate sites. Sites with a bad rating are the ones you should avoid entirely. With that in mind, you should double check a site’s trustworthiness if you want to download something from it. Sure, every host site had problems in their inception, with people taking advantage of new platforms becoming big. Today, they have very good software to hunt down and destroy malicious files, so that would make you safer.
Staying safe online requires you to visit trusted sites and not dwell on the dark side of the internet. Beware of shady emails and offers of grandeur. Install an antivirus and take care when browsing on private networks.
