Are you asking for trouble online?

April 10, 2008 · Filed Under Internet

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Firstly, a hearty good morning to you all from a sunny Hull! (Need to capture these dates for posterity!).

Secondly, I can use my telepathic skills to know exactly what you are doing right now! You are reading this blog post using the internet (amazing eh?!) The part I do want to highlight, is that you are using the web, with not much thought. You do this every day, and I bet you shop online and also participate in some sort of social media. So do I. However, there is a real need to be very careful. Please read on……

This is a very sobering and worrying story that recently appeared on the BBC site. Without going into too many details, an innocent man was wrongly accused of a despicable crime, due to his credit card details being stolen and used. He lost his job, his family, his friends - his life just imploded.

The story got me thinking, whether I am too flippant with my card details online. Now I would class myself as someone who knows what they are doing online, understands security and being careful, but something ‘could’ go wrong. I do a lot of shopping online, mostly from the usual suspects, and I tend to use the same card each time. I have not had any problems so far, (touch wood). I make sure:

I look for a secure site
Make sure I am not clicking on any funny links
Check that the https is enabled on the browser
Use Firefox so it may alert me to a phishing site
Make sure the shop / business I am using at least looks reputable
Use passwords which are not simple and easy to guess (I hope!)

Now, the question for you all, drawing on all your online experience, is, am I missing anything? It would be great to hear from you about any security measures you have in place. Also, what is your opinion in general on online security?

Technorati Tags: hull marketing, hull marketing consultant, jonmoss, onlineshopping, security