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Tuesday, 19 December 2017

You may have read in last week’s UWA Forward that one of University IT’s priorities for 2018 is increasing awareness of cyber security across campus. Everyone has a role to play in being cyber safe both at work and at home and this is never more important than over the holiday season.

Cyber scams soar at this time of year so it’s important to stay vigilant to protect your system, devices and data. Common scams include fake email gift certificates, e-cards and parcel delivery notifications requesting confirmation of payment – all of which could be sent to your UWA email address. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be extra cautious and think before you click.

For information and advice on how to protect your data and stay safe online you can visit University IT’s cyber security website .

At home, online shopping hits its peak during the festive season and scams are rife – again take extra care to protect yourself. Here are a few tips to take away with you into the break:

1.            Shop carefully

Be cautious with new or unknown retail websites, particularly if they’re advertising products and services at extremely low prices. These may be scam websites set up to steal your money or identity details.

2.            Use public Wi-Fi safely

Public Wi-Fi in hotels, airports and even cafes can be a prime spot for phishing. Phishing is when someone attempts to take sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and, indirectly, money), often for malicious reasons. It’s also best not to do banking or access sensitive accounts on a public network.

3.            Lookout for travel and ticketing scams

Only purchase concert or festival tickets from trusted sites like official ticket seller's website, and avoid ticket reseller websites.  Travel insurance scams are also common, so make sure you research the provider first. Read more about travel scams on Scamwatch.gov.au.

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