1.

Using the Internet safely

When you're surfing the Internet it's usually best to be quite careful, because unfortunately there are some rogue firms out there using the Internet for illicit or criminal purposes.  Whether we're talking about your personal details, or e-mails from people you don't know or downloads from unfamiliar websites, you can protect yourself from fraud by being critical and objective in your approach to the web.

2.

Protect your PC

If you want to stay safe online it's important to protect your PC from viruses and other threats. Here are the three most important tips for protecting your PC:

• Use a firewall to protect your PC from a variety of threats from the Internet. Make sure that it's always activated, and update it regularly.
• Update your operating system to maintain the reliability and security of your PC. These updates also provide the latest measures to protect against harmful online activities.
• Install antivirus and antispyware software in order to remain protected against a whole host of viruses, trojans and other threats. Be sure to keep the software up to date.

3.

Safe shopping on the Internet

These days there are lots of ways to shop conveniently and easily on the Internet. But whether you're using an online shop, a shopping portal or an auction site, you should always find out everything about the seller, the product and the method of payment, and agree on the delivery terms. You should never send any confidential information by e-mail (e.g. credit card details).

4.

Giving personal details

On the whole it is advisable to be very cautious when giving out your personal details. You should only give out personal information if it is absolutely necessary.
If you're making an entry in a visitor's book or taking part in a forum discussion you should use an e-mail address which your personal details can't be traced back to.
When you join a social networking site you should make sure only certain people can see your personal details.

5.

General password hints

A secure password is essential to protect yourself from data theft, so we've put together a few simple tips to help you create one:

• The longer the password is, the more secure it is.
• Use capital and lower-case letters, numerals, special characters and punctuation marks. Avoid words you could find in the dictionary and anything closely connected to you (birthday, names, etc.).
• Passwords should be changed on a regular basis.
• Make sure you only store your password on your own PC, never on any other computer.