Stay Safe Online – Online meetings
I’m guessing it will be a while before online meetings become less prevalent and we can again meet face to face – and even then it looks like some of our meetings will be online – reluctantly I have to agree that it’s better than travelling a long way – and it’s certainly easier to arrange for more people to attend. So, it looks like Teams, Zoom, BlueJeans, Googlemeet – and a few others – will be with us for a while yet.
My laptop kept overheating – it got very hot and bothered after a 4 hour meeting and really crashed out when I tried to attend an all-day conference – so the guys suggested they set up my desktop with a webcam, speakers and a microphone. It was much simpler – and cheaper – than it sounds and it really is so much better – connected to the internet by a cable – not wireless – and they also fixed up an extra screen so I can see my documents separately. Simples!
Current scams
I’ve signed up to www.which.co.uk scam alert service which also offers advice on spotting scams:
- Have you been contacted out of the blue?
- Have you been asked to share personal details?
- Are the contact details vague? (*Is there a landline contact number?)
- Are you being asked to keep it secret?
- Is the offer too good to be true?
- Are you being pressured to make a decision?
- Are there spelling and grammar mistakes?
*I received a phone call the other day offering a free survey – but as the caller could not provide a phone number for me to call them back – I assume this was a scam. If they had given me a number I could search for it on Google and find out if the details matched.
Buying Online
Which? Also has some good advice for buying online including:
Check the domain name – we advise typing the name into the search bar then choosing from Google’s list – you are unlikely to get the wrong website through a typo!
Never pay by bank transfer – we advise paying by Paypal if at all possible – and by credit card.
Read several online reviews – carefully.
Look for a padlock – a padlock next to a website’s URL means the site is encrypted and data transfer is safe – if your website doesn’t have a padlock it’s quite easy and inexpensive to make it secure and get an SSL certificale – contact us for advice.
Find details of recent scams here www.actionfraud.police.uk and on our Facebook page rainford-it- stay safe online and on our blog on our website.
I still receive emails saying domain names need renewing – when they don’t – or hosting is expiring – when it isn’t – if you have all your IT in one place – domain names, website hosting, website and emails – it’s just one number to ring – 01948 840102 – for all your IT support.
Published in the April edition of the Whitchurch Gossip