– Quality protection. It is incredible how many people still use the Internet insecurely today. Websites usually use https, which only prevents others from reading communications between you and the website. Your computer is exposed to viruses, malware, and other “clever” security. How can this be prevented? A good anti-virus program and a firewall. These two tools are the foundation for detecting mischief in downloaded files, for example. Then there is VPN (Virtual Private Network). This basically means that instead of connecting to the site directly from your computer, the VPN creates a kind of virtual computer within your computer, and only this virtual computer connects to the target site via several other similar computers. In this way, not only is communication between your computer and the site protected, but your computer\’s identity and location cannot be traced.

– Common Sense. Even the best protection is useless if you don\’t think about it when you use the Web. So before you do anything, try to imagine what it would actually be like. Would you give your account number or address to someone you\’ve never seen, don\’t know, and speak only gibberish? Probably not. So why would you do that over the Internet or by mail? Or would you let a stranger use your phone or credit card without asking? No. We would not.

Of course, there are sophisticated scams in which the user is more or less helpless, but most Internet scammers are more effective by contacting many people and waiting for someone to be fooled. And unfortunately, there is always someone out there. The idea of a Caribbean vacation, a great heritage site, or a new cell phone is just too tempting for some people. But the only defense is to persistently ignore them. Only when the risks are too great and the benefits too small will online pirates give up.