Basic Prevention Tips For All Internet Users To Reduce  Vulnerability To Cyber Crime ! 

Cyber crime is simply defined as any crime that is committed through a computer or internet. A cybercriminal may use an electronic device to access the personal or sensitive information of an unsuspecting victim, company or government for fraudulent purposes. Examples of cybercrimes are identity theft, romance scams, phishing, cyber bullying, social engineering etc.

As technology advances, the rate at which cybercrime is committed increases on daily basis and despite the efforts of law enforcement agencies and anti-graft agencies to stop cybercrime, cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated in their fraudulent activities.

According to a report by Cybersecurity Ventures, https://cybersecurityventures.com/cybercrime-damages-6-trillion-by-2021/

Cybersecurity Ventures's research revealed that the global cost of cybercrime is expected to reach $6 trillion a year by 2021. The implication of this is that as long as we are using the internet or social media we are all vulnerable to cyber attacks.

As internet users we must be informed that as far as cybercrime is concerned, there is no perfect security anywhere but the best we can do to protect ourselves & loved ones from cyber attacks is to educate ourselves, implement best practices and stay vigilant.

All internet users need to exercise some basic precautions in order to reduce their vulnerability to cyber crime.

Here are some basic prevention tips to help protect yourself and loved ones against cybercrime.

1. Avoid sharing your private & sensitive information online. This is because cyber criminals can easily get your personal information when you share it publicly.

2. Keep your browser & other programs updated so as to reduce your vulnerability.

3. Avoid using free or public Wi-fi. e.g. cyber cafe, hotel, restaurant, banks, colleges, airport etc.

4. Use strong passwords that is difficult to crack. Make sure your password is long. Use at least 14 characters & mix letters, numbers & special characters.

5. Change your password from time to time because you may not know if a cyber criminal is monitoring your password.

6. Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts.

7. Don't download or click any link from unknown source.

8. Always verify the source of any email before you respond.

9. Anytime you are suspicious, make a formal report to anti-fraud or law enforcement agencies immediately.

10. More importantly, educate yourself & your entire family about how to stay safe online.

Conclusively, proper orientation or knowledge is your greatest weapon and best defence against cyber crime. Make sure you always contact experts and counselors on cyber crime so that they can educate you from time to time about the tricks of cyber criminals. This is very important because as technology advances, new fraud schemes are emerging everyday.

Rotimi Onadipe, Tel: +234-8169121819 Email: onatechconsult@gmail.com