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What’s my password? Stay safe on-line

What’s my password? Stay safe on-line

The average person has 27 accounts with passwords. That’s a lot of remembering to do, and keeping them all safe is a nightmare.   Identity theft from the hacking of internet accounts can happen to anyone, be warned, according to Action Fraud.  One in four adults has fallen victim to identity theft – losing on average £ 1200 – and the UK public lost an estimated £ 4 billion to internet fraud in the last year alone. These are frightening statistics and remind us of the necessity to protect all accounts by choosing (and remembering) the right types of password.   So, here are our top ideas from Age Space to help choose the right passwords:

  • To stop accounts being hacked passwords should be complicated.
  • Never share passwords – no legitimate company or organisation will ask for passwords.
  • Have a different password for each account.
  • Use a mixture of UPPER and lower case letters as well as numbers in each password.
  • Don’t use family names or dates of birth.
  • Write down the passwords in a book and make sure you keep the book safe (tell a family member where it is kept just in case).
  • There is security software to help such as LastPass which keeps all passwords safe in one place.
  • Finally, if you think you have been hacked, report it straight away to the relevant company or organisation and Action Fraud. Then change the password immediately.

If you have any tips on staying safe, pass them on to others via the Age Space forum.