Glossary
Encrypt - to protect something by concealing it through converting it into a random code
Hyperlink - a feature that links you to the other website by clicking it, e.g: this is a hyperlink
Cybertroopers - a group of people that are hired to paint a good picture of a certain political party and stumble the opponent of the party
Browser - a type of software that lets you surf websites, examples are Google Chrome, Safari, Samsung Internet, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, etc
Now that we have learnt the common types of digital scams or hacks, we can guard ourselves against them with these easy steps.
Do’s
Install apps only from trusted and verified sources such as PlayStore, AppStore, Huawei AppGallery, etc. Apps from other sources could be a virus or ransomware in disguise. It is recommended to google sources not stated previously and the software installed from there to check if it is genuine software.
Be sceptical about every information available on the internet unless the sources have been verified and recognised by professionals. The internet, albeit is the largest library to find genuine information from, is also susceptible to the spread of myths due to speech freedom. Cybertroopers are commonly spotted too on social media, especially on Facebook to spread sugarcoated semi-truth and glorify the party leader.
Enable Two-Factor Authorisation (2FA) whenever possible. This will add a solid layer of security to your accounts since you will now need to insert the OTP code sent to your phone by SMS whenever you log in to your account from a new device. The OTP codes are also used to authorise changes to bank account settings and online transactions.
Update your device regularly. Like machines, phones require regular maintenance (in the form of software updates) to work optimally and safely. Usually, software updates on phones are prioritised to update the security system of the phone.
Set emergency contacts. Emergency contacts are contacts that you can call easily despite having your phone locked. This feature will come in handy when your phone has somehow got hacked or when you’re in an emergency.
Stay calm if received suspicious calls or emails. Most of the times, people fall victim to scams when they panic and are unable to fully analyse the situation. So just bear in mind, the next time you receive a call or an email from an unknown contact, relax and ignore them or even block them.
Don’ts
Don’t click on suspicious links. This is pretty self-explanatory, but how suspicious is suspicious? Links that don’t look like https://websitename.com or https://www.websitename.com and have many random characters or numbers are considered suspicious and if you encountered these suspicious links, it’s ideal to avoid them and find another website. If you, unfortunately, have already clicked on them, don’t ever give any information to them and switch off the modem/router immediately and shut down (or restart) your device. When you open the link, the website may start downloading a virus, without you knowing, to hijack your device; or the hacker may steal your data directly from your browser. Besides, the hacker may camouflage the website with special characters, e.g: https://ẉhatsapp.com/free-cash instead of https://whatsapp.com/free-cash. You can see the website a hyperlink directs to by tapping it and holding it for a few seconds.
Don’t give out any information on unknown HTTP websites. HTTP websites are websites with links that start with http:// instead of https://. The difference between them is that HTTP websites don’t encrypt your data (i.e. your login credentials or your online identity) when you’re logging in to a certain HTTP website. That will create a route for the hacker to hack into your device anytime they want, especially when you’re using public Wi-Fi which usually is unsecured and susceptible to manipulations.
Don’t link your credit/debit cards to any platform. You will need to insert the OTP code when you first link the card and once it’s linked to the platform, every transaction after that will no longer require you to insert the OTP code which can be very convenient at the expense of security. If your device gets hacked or stolen in real life, they can make transactions on that platform without any difficulty.
Don’t give OTP codes to anyone online, even to your family members. This again is quite self-explanatory since OTP codes are equivalent to your bank pin number where you wouldn’t give it to anyone that you don’t trust. In addition to that, you would never know if your family or friend’s social media got hacked or not, so it’s better not to deal with this online, rather, ask them to get your OTP code face-to-face.
Don’t use similar passwords to register different accounts. If one of your accounts is hacked or hijacked, the hacker will try to use the password to log in to your other accounts.
As we all know it is hard to eradicate scams and hacks from our lives, following these steps will significantly reduce the likelihood of falling victim to scams and hacks. Once you’re used to using the internet, you will do these steps unconsciously, so you need not memorise them.