PLAYING IT SAFE

Let’s talk about keeping ourselves safe – Personal Safety, Staying Safe in your home, Civil Defence, Cyber Security, Mobile Phone Security, Identity Theft, Scammers, Passwords and 2-Step Verification. Tips and ideas to help us stay safe.

PERSONAL SAFETY

Staying safe in your home

Personal safety is something all of us need to think about - being prepared in an emergency; feeling that your property is secure from theft or vandalism.

Ways to help keep yourself and your home safe include:

Elder Abuse

We all have the right to feel respected, safe and independent in our choices. If you are being abused (financially, socially, emotionally, physically or sexually) reach out for help. Our information on identifying, preventing, identifying and reporting elder abuse

Fire safety

Civil defence and emergency safety

Health Safety

Reporting crimes

ONLINE SAFETY AND SECURITY

Websites giving advice for using your devices safely

Social Media

Here are important tips to stay safe on social media:

Mobile phone security

Mobile phones store a wealth of your personal information and can provide access to online accounts Make sure you follow the advice for all of the above plus:

Online Safety Tips – Cyber Security

Cyber security is the protection of internet-connected systems. Technology alone will never be able to fully protect you, but there are ways to reduce the risks.

Clear your cache

As web browsers save tiny files onto your computer when you visit websites, clearing your cache is highly recommended after you have finished browsing a site to help maintain the security of your personal browsing data. Taranaki Safe Families.org.nz Hide my visit

Identity theft and Crime

Identity theft - using the identity information of another person to pretend to be them. Your name, address, phone numbers, birthdate, bank account number, credit card number, passport, driver’s licence, or IRD number can be used to gain access to your financial accounts. More personal attacks can also happen, such as imposter social network profiles leading to online bullying or harassment.

Advice and support for victims of identity theft:

SCAMS

Door to Door scams - one of the most common scams.

Online Scams

With the popularity of computers, tablets and smartphones, it’s important to be aware of increasing scams targeting users. For more information check out these websites:

Links to major bank information about Scams

Below are links to web pages that the major banks have made about scams and how to protect yourself from them. Please take time to see what advice the banks have to give.

Passwords and Password Managers

(Information also comes from a Mac Interest Group Report of March 2019 by Rod Lewis)

2-Factor Authentication / 2FA / 2-Step Verification

You can add an extra layer of security to your password manager with 2-Factor Authentication (2FA), also known as 2-Step Verificatio. An attacker would need your password and an additional code to get into your password manager.