There are lots of simple measures you can take to keep your personal data safe, and protect yourself from online fraud. Here’s a few tips to help you.

• How to keep your personal information private
• How to keep your computer safe
• Emails and spam
• Buying online

How to keep your personal information private

• You should only ever provide information that’s necessary for what you’re trying to do. For example, you shouldn’t have to enter any credit card details in order to join a site, or sign up for a newsletter.
• If you’re using a public computer – say, in a library or internet café – be sure you log out before you leave, and never let the computer save your passwords or username.
• Choose a password that’s complicated. Use a number or symbol, and a mix of capital and lower case letters. And don’t use the same password for all your accounts. You can check the strength of your password here: http://www.passwordmeter.com/
• Destroy your old bills and credit card statements, don’t just throw them out. Identity thieves will happily rummage through a bin to get your personal information.

How to keep your computer safe

• Make sure you install anti-spyware, and anti-virus software to prevent intruders getting into your system. Run your anti-virus software regularly to scan your system and remove any malicious software.
• Be sure to install all the security patches for your operating system. Microsoft release these regularly. You need to also reboot your computer when the software has been installed.
• Use a firewall. Often, these come as part of your anti-virus software and are important to keep hackers from accessing your computer.

Emails and spam

• Don’t click on a link in an email and log-in to a website, even if it seems to be coming from a reputable organisation. These emails are often "phishing" for your personal information. You can find out more about phishing here.
• Never reply to unsolicited email or spam. Often links in these emails install software on your computer that collects you usernames and passwords.
• Don’t open attachments in an email that’s not from someone you know and trust. If you can, delete these emails before you open them.
• If you’re using an instant messaging system, such as MSN Live, or Google Talk, and you receive unsolicited messages from someone you don’t know, shut down your connection straight away, and wait a few minutes before opening it again.

Buying online

• Be very wary of advertisers who ask you to send money overseas. Trading Post requires that all sellers be based in Australia in order to use the site.
• If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Scammers often underprice items to tempt buyers.
• Collect as much information about the seller as possible before you make a purchase. You should be able to access their contact details, and verify that they own the item for sale.
• Don’t use your bank account to transfer money to someone you don’t know. You can find out more about safe payment methods here.
• Check your credit card statements, and make sure that you’ve authorised all the transactions.

If you have any concerns or questions, or think that a seller is suspicious, call our Trust and Safety team on 13 26 26, or email investigations@tradingpost.com.au.