Leads 2 Business Blog

20 Feb 2019

How to Stay Safe from Criminal Activity

by Sasha Anderson | posted in: General | 0

How to Stay Safe from Criminal Activity

How do we stay safe in a world where crime is always prevalent? Anyone and everyone is a target nowadays.

According to reports from IOL and BusinessTech these are some of SA’s biggest crimes:

Drugs
Burglary
Assault
Theft
Malicious injury to property
Commercial crime
Career Scams
Inheritance fraud
Online Gaming Fraud

Criminals devise new tactics daily.
Cybercrime remains a massive global threat with text, voice, malware and email to name a few. Banks alone list at least 16 Types of Scams on their website:

Vishing scam (otherwise known as phone call scamming)
Remote access takeover scam
Phishing scam (emails)
Change of banking details scam
SIM swap scam
Twin SIM scam (duplication of your SIM)
Number porting scam
Deposit and refund scam
Spoofed website scam (fake websites that look legitimate)
419 scam (upfront payments)
Dating and romance scam
Holiday scam (false advertisements)
Keylogger scam (software recording keystrokes)
Smishing scam (SMS)
Online goods scam
Email hacking scam

In most cases the main aim of criminals using the above types of scams is to obtain your personal information for financial gain. This is often achieved by impersonating companies (like SARS) and deceiving unsuspecting individuals.

Do you know how to identify these crimes? How can you decrease your likelihood of falling prey to criminals and fraud?

Having healthy scepticism and security protocols are key in staying safe from criminals.

Some red flags and general tips to stay safe are:
Be aware of your surroundings and trust your gut
Competitions you win but never entered
Upfront payments to receive money/prizes
Always log off/sign out
Latest anti-virus versions
Don’t auto-save passwords
Avoid using public computers
Type the URL – Don’t use links
Set transaction banking limits
Use websites that have a lock icon as well as “https://”
Protect and don’t share personal information/passwords/OTPs
Strong, impersonal, unique and frequently changed passwords (password tips from How-To-Geek)
Don’t confirm personal or account details via a hyper-link, icon or attachment in an email or over the phone

Other identifiers specific to emails/phishing also include:

Displayed names and headers can be deceiving
Look first before clicking
Typos and Grammar
Analyse greetings
Beware of urgent/threatening requests
Assess the signature
Don’t open or download attachments
Delete, mark as spam/junk and report

Lastly: If it’s too good to be true… it probably is.

The above suggestions don’t guarantee your safety from criminal activity. Technology is ever evolving and opportunists are always developing new tactics.

Be vigilant, stay informed of the latest trends and as they say “fore-warned is fore-armed”.

Sources/Further Reading:
Cambridge Dictionary
BamkingOrg
StandardBank
MyB r oadband
Nedbank
IOL
SafeInternetBanking
PhishingOr g
CSOOnline
GlobalSign
PixelPrivacy
ZoneAlarm
Comodo
Norton
InfoBunny
DuoCircle

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About Sasha Anderson

Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life. Reach out if you want to talk: L2B, social media, construction, technology, marriage, parenting, popular culture and travel. Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward

17 Jun 2015

General Safety in South Africa

by Sasha Anderson | posted in: Life Lessons, Safety | 0

Crime in South Africa, like many other places in today’s world, can be a problem. Despite some negative perceptions about crime in South Africa, it’s generally safe & friendly, all you need to do is take sensible precautions & follow some general rules in order to stay safe.

Personal Safety Tips

Be aware of your surroundings
Avoid unfamiliar areas & walking alone
Avoid wearing/displaying valuables & large amounts of money
Take ATM Safety precautions
If you travel inform someone of your destination
Ensure that you know relevant emergency numbers
In a robbery situation, remain calm & do not resist
Take a self defense course
Don’t leave animals in the car
Trust your instincts at all times

Home Safety

Fencing & Gates
Alarm, CCTV & Intercom Systems
Dogs
Security Lighting
Ensure gates are locked at all times & keys/access devices are in a designated area

Vehicle Safety

Keep doors locked & windows closed
Do not leave valuables locked in the car
Park in well-lit places
If something seems suspicious, rather drive away
Vary the routes that you take & do not give strangers a lift
Ensure you have sufficient petrol
If you are in a road accident, drive to the nearest police station
Have your keys ready before approaching your vehicle
If you feel you are being followed, rather drive to the nearest police station

Safety Tips Unique to SA:

Look out for potholes
Beware of animals on the road & other native creepies and crawlies
Swimming in rivers can be dangerous due to hippos, crocodiles & bull sharks
Take Malaria precautions (repellents, nets)
Take Tick precautions (to prevent tick-bite fever)
Avoid drinking water from Rivers (Bilharzia & Cholera)
Sun protection (even on a cloudy day)
Beware of Remote Jamming
Beware of Taxi’s while driving/ walking
Keep updated on Load-shedding Schedules & take pro-active measures

Although it seems like you’ve just been handed a mountain of Safety Tips they are not there to prevent you from enjoying life. Keep them in mind & make them part of your daily routine & they will become effective habits before you know it.

Think of it like Dr George Cui, “Safety First, Then Healthy, then Happy, then Wealthy.”

P.S. Please add your Safety Tips in the comments section below.