Here at ScoresMatter we like to help you know about all things concerning your Digital You, your digital footprint not only the internet but the dark web too. 

This month and most months really, our mantra for our content has been all about online security and protecting yourself.

We wanted to give you some top tips on how you can stay secure online. 

Firstly, anti virus software- we can’t stress enough how important it is to have this and have  the most up to date version of the software installed on your gadgets. There are loads of options to suit all budgets and all will help to ensure that you’re a little bit more protected online, especially with online banking. Some banks even offer free antivirus software- so make the most of it.

Another great tip I read about recently is investing in a good VPN (that’s a virtual private network). There are many benefits in using a VPN, but most importantly they work by encrypting your internet data, making it unreadable to any third parties who may try to intercept that information.

If you use public Wi-Fi regularly then a VPN is a good option, as you can essentially turn these hotspots into a private network through which you can safely surf the web. Depending on which provider and plan you go for, a VPN will also come with its own password management system as well as ad-blocking software, which means that you’ll be even more secure online.

Thirdly, changing your passwords regularly is a great prevention tool. Thousands of stolen and compromised passwords end up on the dark web, so regularly changing your password will help you stay one step ahead. Normally your apps/computer/websites will remind you to do this but it’s something important to remember to do along with your system updates (when you’re prompted to do so on your phone/tablet and PC). 

Last but not least, Scoresmatter can  help you too! We have our Dark Web tool, which regularly scans the dark web for you (once you have signed up, we will run a monthly scan for you!) This ensures you are alerted if your details are ever located or could possibly be compromised. Not only this, with ScoresMatter you can also check your credit report, as often the first signs of identity theft will show up on your report, so checking regularly is essential. 

So if something pops up on your credit report that you do not recognise, such as a credit card application, loan application or anything that looks out of the ordinary you can ensure that you look into this as soon as possible, alert the bank/loan company and ensure that any application is stopped.  You can contact the credit reference agency to remove these entries from your report . 

I hope our top tips this month will help you to not only #tapintothedigitalyou but also protect the digital you too.