Internet Safety Tips

• Locate your computer(s) where you can monitor what your child is doing

• Regularly check the history of internet sites viewed on your computer

• Always visit chat rooms yourself to ensure suitability before allowing your child to use them

• Do not leave your children at the computer while you are out

• Protect your computer with a password so your child cannot use the net without your permission

• Tell your children about the dangers of the internet

Internet Security Tips

The most dangerous you can do online is put credit card or other financial information into an email or unsecured website. Secure information must be encrypted to prevent anyone seeing it while in transit.

• Firstly, make sure you are happy that the site you are visiting is bona fide. It's relatively cheap and easy for a fraudster to set up a site that appears to be fully secure. Look for phone numbers, full addresses and company registration information and check them if in any doubt. Just because a website is secure doesn't mean that you would want the owner to have your credit card details.
• Check that the website is secure and has https in its address on the page asking for any financial information. Just because a website says it's secure or has a logo doesn't guarantee that it is. Your browser will usually show a padlock and the address bar will be green or yellow when you're on a secure site. Always be cautious of a red address bar. If in doubt, call the website owners and give secure information by phone or fax.
• Never put personal information into a website where its Security Certificate doesn't match the website address even if https is displayed.
• Never put any sensitive information into an ordinary email. Call or fax if in doubt.
• You can send secure emails by installing a signing certificate from a Certificate Authority (e.g. thawte.com). Both the sender and recipient need a signing certificate and a compatible mail client. An initial email needs to have been sent both ways so each end knows each other's public encryption key. We can help you get this running if you need it.