Staying safe online
We are doing more online than ever before, and its important you know how to protect yourself. Here are AFSA’s tips for staying safe online.
Keep an eye out for suspicious messages!
Criminals will do their best to make fraudulent emails and text messages look legitimate. The aim is to trick you into visiting fake websites and providing your personal information.
Look out for the following in the messages you receive:
- The email is not personalised
- Perhaps there is incorrect English being used
- A threat or a call to action to speed up and increase the likelihood of a response
- Requesting personal details
- Inserting a link for you to click on
- No personalised sign off to the message
Your online account has protections implemented by AFSA to protect your data and your funds from an unauthorised user. Some of the ways AFSA provides protection is through:
- Your device logging out after a period of inactivity
- Failed password attempts being blocked
- Data and Password encryption
- Password complexity requirements
- Providing multi-factor authentication
- Using software that checks the validity of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses
There are online security risks including scams, and you should stay updated through the Australian Cyber and Security Centre https://www.cyber.gov.au/
You should also:
- Keep your devices updated with the latest software and security protection
- Never share your password (AFSA will never ask you for it)
- Regularly change your password
- Regularly check the transactions on your account
- Register for 2 factor authentication (SMS registration) with the AFSA online account as soon as possible. This provides an extra layer of security for online accounts in addition to passwords as a code is also required for access which is sent as a SMS to your phone
- Register for notifications of any changes to your online account through the notifications tab of AFSA online
- Use a password manager. Your passwords are the keys to everything you do online. Use a different password for each account, keep them to yourself and make them strong. Password Manager software can help you create and store password safely
- Back up your data. Your data is invaluable so please make regular backups and test regularly to make sure your data backup operates successfully.