Sergeant Ben Dimmock, of the Crime Reduction Team, which is running this competition, said: “Anyone can become a target for cyber-dependant and cyber-enabled crime. National statistics suggest that fraud is now the most common type of crime and around 70 per cent of fraud is either cyber-dependant or cyber-enabled.
“Online crime is varied and can cover many different forms of crime, from bank fraud and email scams through to harassment and online bullying. While any of us could become a victim of online crime, this competition is designed and focused on reaching out to some of those members of our community who may be more vulnerable.”
By taking simple steps, you can help to protect yourself online:
- Use a strong password to keep your details safe. This should contain upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols;
- Never give your personal details out online. Banks and companies will never ask for sensitive information via email or phone;
- Make sure you are using up-to-date internet security, including on your mobile phone;
- Ensure you have installed the latest operating system;
- Edit your privacy settings on social media and make sure only your friends can see your updates and information;
- If you’re using public WiFi, never use sites that are not secure or require personal information