Tip no. 1: Hacker alert. How to protect yourself.
Phishing – fraud on the Internet.
In so-called "phishing" a person who is "fishing" for data seeks to deceive you with apparently genuine e-mails and websites in order to gain access to your e-mail account, your credit card details or even your bank account. Below we show you how you can protect yourself against fraud attempts on the Internet.
1. Never reply to e-mails that ask for personal information
It is easy to falsify the sender’s e-mail address. Swisscom, the post office, banks, credit card companies, e-mail service providers and all other trustworthy service providers will never ask you for usernames, passwords, credit card numbers or other personal information by e-mail or over the telephone. Never send personal information per e-mail, use only securely encrypted websites.
2. Check websites for encryption
If possible, make use of the security functions in your Internet browser and ensure that you are using an encrypted connection for your communications. Also check whether the padlock symbol is illustrated next to the address line in the browser and whether the user of the certificate and website provider are the same.
3. Phishing filter in the browser or in your security suite
Various browsers or security software packages identify fraudulent websites and warn you before you use them.
4. Enter links manually
Do not click on the links in dubious e-mails in order to access the specified websites. Enter the address manually in the address field in your Internet browser instead. This will prevent unsolicited programs (scripts) being executed on your computer and, at the same time stop attempts to link you into fraudulent Internet websites.
5. Check statements
Keep a regular check on your credit card and bank statements. It may be worthwhile getting a second credit card for Internet purchases on which you only have a low monthly spending limit. In this way you can minimise the amount lost in the event of an incident.