PRIVACY MANAGEMENT
12
E-SECURITY
SPAM
Spam refers to unsolicited, commercial, electronic messages sent to a person's email
account, mobile phone or via social media. These messages may feature advertisements
for goods or services, attempts to capture banking or credit card details, or may even
contain malware.
SCAMS
Scams are not unique to the Internet, they have occurred for centuries. The Internet,
however, allows for scams to have a much greater coverage. These scams may intend to
defraud you of money or attempt to steal your personal details (identity theft).
MALWARE
Malicious software, or malware, is an unfortunate fact of life when using the internet.
Malware includes viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware and adware. These not only have
disruptive impacts on how your computer operates, but can also be used to steal your
personal information or even allow your computer to be remotely controlled and used for
illegal purposes.
Malware can be spread in a variety of different ways including through email (either
through attachments or links), clicking on pop-ups or even by visiting infected websites.
It might also be spread by using an infected portable storage device in your computer
or laptop.
E-SECURITY TIPS
1. Delete emails from people you do not know without opening or responding
to them.
2. Use spam filtering software available from your email account provider.
3. Do not give out your email address or mobile phone number unless you know how
that information will be used.
4. Read the Terms and Conditions carefully before agreeing to any offer.
5. Check your credit card and bank account statements and report any suspicious
transactions to your bank or financial institution.
6. Never click on a link in an email or web page, type the address
into the browser yourself.
7. Install and maintain anti-virus and anti-spyware software on all
your devices.
8. Be aware that sometimes spam emails may look like they have
come from someone you know—if it looks or sounds unusual,
delete it.
And remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is!