Online Security 

Almost half of the world's population is connected to the Internet and for most of us a day without access to the World Wide Web is unthinkable. But cybercrime is also on the rise. It is therefore important to know the risks and dangers to avoid unpleasant surprises on the Internet. Avoid viruses, online fraud or know how to promptly recognize cyber harassment, here you will find examples of Internet scams and tips to identify them and protect yourself effectively.

What is cybergrooming?

Around a third of Swiss children and adolescents have already been victims of cybergrooming. The authors try to win their trust online, to draw them into a web of addiction and to persuade them not to confide in anyone. Make sure your children are prepared.

The English term "cybergrooming" refers to the behavior of adults with sexual intentions who, on the Internet, gain the trust of children and adolescents by deception. The English verb "to groom" means to take care of one's hair, to clean it and to brush it; in the sexual context this expression means the establishment of a relationship with a victim. The prefix cyber- defines the place where grooming takes place: the various social spaces of the internet.

Parents: safety tips

• Please provide support when registering
  Are your children interested in internet offers, a game or a social platform? Help them register and orient themselves in this new reality. Configure your privacy settings in such a way as to minimize the automatically transmitted data about your children.

• Secure your devices
  Many devices nowadays have a parental lock feature that you can activate. (Mac parental control activation; iPhone / iPad parental control activation, Windows 10 parental control etc.). Using special stickers you can also cover the webcam.

• Agree on rules
  Make it clear to your children that when they establish contact with a stranger they must act with the utmost caution even online. Advise them to avoid transmitting private information over the internet as much as possible. If they absolutely want to meet a stranger, accompany them. If your children are over 15 years old and want to meet their circle of acquaintances alone, insist that the meeting take place in a public place frequented by many people and in the light of day.

• Talk about photos and videos
  Inform your children of the risk that a photo or video may be misused for illegal purposes. Encourage them to ask themselves the following question before submitting a photo or video: How would I feel if everyone saw the photo or video in a newspaper, on television, or on the internet?

• Be interested in online experiences
  Talk to your children about their experiences online. Make them understand that in case of problems they can always turn to you without fear of reproaches or prohibitions.

• Act on suspicion
  If you suspect that your children are being harassed, talk to them gently and calmly about how the events unfolded. Get evidence via screenshots. Report violations to the manager. If you feel that your children are being sexually harassed by an adult, contact the police to file a report.

What is phishing?

«Phishing» derives from the English «fishing» and means precisely «to fish». It is a fraud attempt carried out through fictitious emails or sites to steal confidential and sensitive information such as passwords or banking credentials. Potential victims face double harm: the loss of both their personal data and money.

A phishing attack begins with sending an email that contains an attractive offer or requires prompt action such as:

• fill out a deceptive form

• click on a link that leads to a bogus site

• open an infected attachment.

These emails look familiar and often use reputable company logos to gain your trust.

In search of a soul mate

Today, those who want to fall in love often look for the ideal partner on social networks.

For their part, scammers and scammers use these searches in a targeted way to get rich. To this end, they create fake profiles with which they come into contact with people looking for a soul mate on Facebook or other social media platforms. To lure their victims, these cheaters often present themselves as Canadian top managers or American soldiers stationed overseas. After a short time they speak of love and skillfully seduce their victim with declarations of love. 

Prevention tips

How to find out if she is "a scammer or a love scammer"

Never seen or known before?
Never accept friend requests on Facebook or other social media platforms from people you don't know in real life.

Pilot, single, traveling?
Ask yourself how realistic it is that a person who is charming, with a good working and social position, who lives on the other side of the world and who has practically nothing to do with you and your life suddenly wants to start a long distance relationship with you. .

Love suddenly?
Be wary of people who tell you about great love even before the first date.

Stop!
Stop all contact if you are asked to send money or other goods.

Have you fallen into the trap of the love scam?

Don't panic: it can happen to anyone!

• Do not send any more money or goods!

• Immediately and completely stop contact with the scammer or scammer and block them on all your channels.

• Do not react if you are contacted by other alleged "victim advocates" (eg Interpol, the police of another country, a lawyer specializing in the matter, etc.).

• Provide all relevant information about the scam you are a victim of (account details, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, profile names, etc.) to the nearest police station and file a report.

• Talk about what happened to you with a trusted person and ask for psychological help to process this whole story.

• In the event of financial problems, please contact your canton's debt settlement counseling center.

Malware lurks on the web and in emails

Malware lurks in computers, laptops or smartphones, allowing third parties to access the system undisturbed and steal or manipulate data. Your allies? Updates, modern antivirus and a pinch of attention on the internet and with e-mails.

Malware are computer programs that perform unwanted activities on your computer, laptop or smartphone. It is customary to distinguish between viruses, worms and Trojans, which are programmed for different purposes: spying, theft of information or money (e-banking) and much more.

Over 500,000 new malware are detected every day (source: Virustotal). In most cases, a system gets infected via email or while browsing the internet. So beware of downloads, links to attachments to emails and files on suspicious websites.