Cyber criminals often target students in financial scams or in stealing their personal information. Complete our short cyber security training to make sure you stay safe online. Here are five important actions you can take to keep your money and your data safe:
- Install antivirus software on your devices and keep it up-to-date. This is provided free by the University.
- Be aware of phishing scams. Scams commonly target students by appearing to be from legitimate sources, like the Student Loans Company, your own bank or official government agencies. If you think you have disclosed information in a phishing scam, you can report it to your local IT officer or to the UIS Service Desk.
- Review the security and privacy settings on your social media accounts. Scammers can use information they find online about you to make you think they are legitimate.
- Never allow someone to transfer money through your bank account. This is called money muling and is a form of fraud and money laundering for which you can be prosecuted. Criminals target students with offers to make large sums of money easily by getting involved in this criminal activity.
- Protect your online accounts: follow our advice on setting up a strong password and set up two-step verification or multi-factor authentication.
To find out more about fraud and cyber crime from the Metropolitan Police’s guide: https://www.met.police.uk/littlemedia