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For many years now we have been reading alarming headlines about online safety and well-being.
- On Internet Safety Day this year the BBC disseminated that one in five 10-12 year olds with a social media account has been bullied online;
- The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau revealed that online scams lost victims across the country £670 million over a year, and there are likely to be many more unreported scams;
- Experts say that those participating in online dating are contending with one in ten profiles not being real people, but scammers;
- In a Get Safe Online survey of 2,075, over half have been a victim of online fraud, but only 32 per cent reported the crime.
Even the world of education and training is a target for scammers, with them offering high value distance learning courses that lead to a qualification, when in fact it is not a qualification accredited by a registered awarding organisation, and therefore not a qualification at all. At Elearning Marketplace we check that every course is accurately described, and challenge e-learning suppliers and publishers if the accreditation for a course is not evident.
Whatever you are accessing online whether it’s email, social media or you are online shopping the risks are increasing. An excellent resource for information on scams and how to report them is the BBC’s ‘You’ve Been Scammed‘ webpage where you’ll find useful information about each of the scams covered during the BBC One series You’ve Been Scammed, with links to websites and organisations where you can get more advice and guidance.
Sainsbury’s Bank has created an excellent resource for shopping safely online with very valuable advice.
Sources:
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/35523838
- http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2801328/top-ten-online-scams-fraudsters-stole-victim-s-money-conned-facebook-friends-too.html
- http://www.whoishostingthis.com/blog/2015/09/22/online-dating-scams/
- www.sainsburysbank.co.uk/money-matters/
