Tips on how to keep yourself safe online

Image by RyanMcGuire

On the Internet, you can be whoever you want.  Usually, these impersonations are harmless like roleplaying on Twitter as your favorite characters like Superman or Batman.  However, it becomes worrying when scammers pretend to be a trusted institution like a bank to part you from your hard earned money.

To prevent that, here are four tips on how to protect yourself.

Look for the blue tick

Credits: Wikipedia

Twitter, one of the most prominent social media websites, have a feature that verifies an account of public interest is authentic.  That is if the account is really who they say they are.  Facebook also has a similar feature.
Here’s an example from Twitter and Facebook, respectively

This feature can be used to alert you to the fact that the page you’re visiting may not actually be the company they’re claiming to be.  Take this very fake P&O Cruise Facebook page.

There isn’t a blue checkmark next to the name so we know that the person behind the page doesn’t actually represent P&O Cruises.

Social media accounts belonging to large companies such as P&O Cruises or Natwest will have a blue tick next to their name.  Pages of small companies sometimes don’t have the checkmark but the company will usually have a link to their social media pages from their website.

Credits: Wikipedia

Look for the green padlock

The padlock symbolizes that the connection to the website is made over a secure connection.  Extended validation certificates, which will produce a green padlock in all major browsers, require identity checks before they are issued.

However, it’s not a sure fire way as sometimes fake competition slip through the net like this fake Cadbury competition.

Also, there had been cases where security researchers had been able to circumvent extended validations to create fake websites.

Thus, if the website doesn’t feel right, it’s always best to search for the company’s name to find their website.

Don’t click on links sent in SMS texts or email

Photo by Rainy Lake on Unsplash

You may get a text proclaiming your bank account will be suspended unless you go to a website and change your password now!  DON’T CLICK ON IT!  That’s just a scammer trying to get your details or worse install malware (malicious software) on your computer.

The link could lead to a website that plants malicious software on your account.  At its tamest, the link could just be a phishing site. As the name suggests, the scammer is trying to “fish” for your details like your email, password, or other personal details that they could use to compromise your accounts.

While browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Edge try to warn you of phishing links, phishing sites might be so new that it hasn’t been added to the warning database.  Also, the site might be gone long when these browsers finally come around to warn you.

To learn more about phishing see this video:

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TRR6lHviQc

Credits: Revolution689

Google is your friend

To avoid being phished, don’t click on links in text messages or emails.  Instead, go to Google (or Bing if you’re so inclined) and search for the company’s name.  Then go to the contact us page to contact the company directly if you have concerns about your account.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftQ6A3DKKeg

With these 4 trusty tips in mind, stay safe out there and remember, Google is your friend.  If in doubt, Google it.

Fake Facebook Page and How to Avoid Them

I had recently come across a page shared by a friend on Facebook.

According to a post that is currently being shared on Facebook, twenty P&O Cruises tickets were given away by the kind general manager of P&O Cruises.  All you have to do is to share the post.

While there are other legitimate competitions run by Facebook pages, this page had alarm bells ringing. First off, the post look extremely similar to other fake Facebook posts shared around Facebooks.  So I thought I might visit the page to see whether it was legit.  When I click on the post shared I was taken to a Facebook page that looks the Facebook page for P&O Cruises.

Fake P&O Cruise Page

The page had a crappily put together banner as well as a picture of a manager giving away P&O Cruises tickets.  I highly doubt the authenticity of the page so I thought I might hit Google to check what was the real Facebook page for the cruise.

Lo and behold, that wasn't the real Facebook page.  

Real P&O Cruise page

As shown in the screenshot above, the real P&O Page had a blue checkmark verification icon to prove its authenticity.  There was no mention of any giveaways.

Also, according to Hoax Slayer the golden envelopes picture featured in the scam post was apparently stolen from a February 2016 Los Angeles Times report about the making of the Oscars envelopes.

The nail in the coffin is that P&O Cruise Twitter had confirmed that the page indeed was fake.

Hi Thu, many thanks for feeding this back to us. We believe we have been speaking to you about this, but rest assured, we have reported this page and recommend anyone else does the same also. Cease all contact with the page also if you can, we hope this helps! :)

— P&O Cruises (@pandocruises) August 25, 2018

What's alarming is that over 7,900 had reacted to the post and over 16,000 people had shared the post.

So in summary, Facebook pages belonging to large companies have a blue checkmark next to their name.

Closeup of the verification checkmark

Also, if a post looks fishy, try searching on Google to find the real page for that company.  Remember Google is your friend.  If in doubt always Google it (you can also Bing it if you so incline).

PS please share this blog post to your friends so they won't fall for this or similar scams!  You can also donate to me with PayPal and help support an aerospace engineering student!