Never share your personal details like house address, phone number, date of birth and place of birth etc. on any online platform such as Facebook, Instagram, Blogs, Twitter, Chat-rooms etc.

Make sure that indecent/offending/harassing emails/chats posts are not be responded. Rather keep them in records in the form of screenshots and inform your parent/guardian to report it to the police. The account should be immediately blocked.

When you feel uncomfortable with any SM post/mail/chatting, immediately share your concern with your parents or any trustworthy person.

Never share your account passwords with anyone.

Be aware that information on the internet is not always reliable.

Make a strong password with alpha-numeric symbols and special characters.

Don’t add people as online friends unless you know them in real life or have parent permission.

Never agree to meet an online friend unless and until you are do so under your parent's/guardian's guidance and supervision.

Treat others online the way you’d like to be treated yourself. Real life etiquettes and manners apply equally to the virtual space.

Don’t sign up for sites that require a certain age criteria for registration eg. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram etc. by wrong reporting of your correct age. such sites may expose you to age inappropriate content.

Don’t buy anything online without discussion with to your parents. Some advertisement may try to trick you by offering things at heavy discount. They may be fraud sites meant for either cheating you of your parents' money or for getting access to you and your parents' personal information

Choose a safe online name. Pick a name that doesn’t reflect your complete identity or location.

Have a strong password with alpha-numeric symbol and special characters for your online account.

Secure your computers with anti-virus, anti-spyware and other cyber security tools

Be selective about what information you make public. Be cautious while posting online any information that can personally identify you, a family member, or friend on a public site like a blog, or online white pages, or job hunt sites, or in any other place. Anyone on the Internet can see the information. Sensitive information includes real name, date of birth, gender, town, e-mail address, school name, place of work, and personal photos. Fraudsters, cheats and online perverts can misuse this information to your detriment

Pay attention to the risks associated with e-mails. and think twice before you open attachments or click links in e-mail-even if you know the sender-as these can be used to transmit spam and viruses to your computer. Never respond to e-mail asking you to provide personal information, especially your account number or password, even if it seems to be from a business you trust. Reputable businesses will not ask you this information in e-mail. Never click on links provided in an email, unless you are sure of the sender and the purpose of email. Instead, use a search engine to find the site. Don’t forward spam, whether it’s a cute ‘thought of the day’, ‘set of jokes’, ‘amazing photo’, ‘recipe tree’ or similar email, if you don’t personally know the sender. The email may be a scam designed to collect the email accounts – and relationships – of everyone you share it with.

Never, try to meet a person with whom you’ve interacted only online without taking somebody else along and such meeting must always be in a public place. Remember, people are not always who they say they are. People often feel uncomfortable setting safety boundaries because they don’t want to offend someone; but good intentioned people will understand and encourage you to set safety requirements, and it is the crooks who want you to feel guilty about it.

Know the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service of any service you use. Create an environment of safety for yourself by understanding how a website that you use, treats your privacy and information. That fine print may tell you the company can own, resell, rent, or give your information to anyone they want. If it does that then find a more respectful site.

Periodically review your internet contacts and online activities. Internet housekeeping is important. Periodically review who you have as contacts, and who can see your online profiles periodically to prune out everyone you no longer have a close interaction with. Review images and content you’ve posted online to see if collectively these tell more about you than what should be known.

Block people you don’t want to interact with. You don’t have to accept invitations to be friends with people just because they ask. People can find it difficult to turn someone down – and creeps and crooks count on this very thing. If you don’t want to be friends, delete the request. If you are already connected with someone you would rather not be, block them from your social sites. You can also block their email account so that they can never contact you through email, and block their phone number from calling or sending text messages to your phone. YOU get to choose who, how, and when you are contacted.

Note that if you become a victim of a cybe crime, it is not your fault. If you fall victim to a scam, fraudster, abuser or criminal, don’t blame yourself. The only person guilty is the abuser or a criminal. You didn’t cheat, scam, lie, threaten, harm, steal, or abuse yourself in some other way, so don’t lay a burden of guilt. Don’t let the abuser or the criminal shame you into silence. Speak out and get the help you need.

Be extremely cautious while posting photographs and control who can view them. Bear in mind that photos can be saved and altered – you don’t want to regret having posted a particular photo, at a later stage! Create restricted user groups who can view photos. Also, don’t post embarrassing pictures of others.

Use strong passwords and use different passwords for different accounts. Social networking sites are very easily hacked into and information can be modified. So ensure that you don’t use weak passwords with personal information such as your birthday or your dog’s name. Your password should be one that is difficult to guess.

Don’t share your password with anyone or let anybody else handle your account. What is seen as trust or some harmless fun, can have severe consequences.

Don’t accept “friend requests” from people totally unknown to you and from those that you don’t want to interact with. If you are being bothered by someone already on your friend’s list, feel free to block them! You get to choose who you want to interact with; don’t be “nice” and put up with any inconvenience.

Ensure your computer has a good antivirus and anti spyware software. A lot of applications on social networking sites can be malicious, and if your computer is not well protected, it can result in a lot of issues.

Last, but not the least, trust your instinct. If you are being subjected to any form of cyber bullying or harassment, report it at once!

Remember that information that you post once on the internet cannot be erased. Use your common sense and utmost caution when you publish anything. A lot of cyber crime can be prevented simply by exercising caution.

If you notice any offensive , abusive or illegal online post/content, Immediately take its screenshot. Also take a screenshot of the link/URL Of the illegal content.

On social Media make friends with people whom you personally know. Many times we accept friend requests from friends of friends. However, Even your friends may not be knowing them and had accepted their friend request because it was a friend of friend. Such unrecognizable friend may be cheats and perverts who may misuse your ‘friend’ privileges and access on Social Media to harm you in many ways.

Don’t click on links sent over Facebook Messenger or other messages services, even if they are sent from your friend’s account, if they are unsolicited (i.e you have neither asked for it nor were you expecting it). Note: even your friend’s account may have been hacked and used from hackers to spread malware to unsuspecting ‘friend’.

Don’t share any OTP or other passwords, even with ‘friend’ on any pretext. Such ‘pretext’ are tricks used by hackers to deceive you through social engineering in sharing your passwords, which may have grave consequences, such as loss of control over Social Media account, your email account ID, etc.

On social Media accounts keep your privacy settings to the most stringent levels. Only share information about yourself on ‘Need to Know’ basis.

On Whats App and other messaging Apps, ensure that ‘media auto-download’ is deactivated, esp. from senders who are not in your contact list. Such media (videos, photos, documents, etc.) may have malwares embedded in them.

Always keep your devise (Phone, Tablet, Laptop etc.) in safe custody. Keep your lock screen on with Password/Pin protection. Don’t keep you device unattended even for a minute.

Note: Information posted online can never be completely removed. So, apply caution while sharing anything online.

Note: The online audience is much larger than we comprehend. Anything offensive or embarrassing, has a higher chance of become viral And out of control. Apply caution while posting things other people.

Make sure your computer has security software on it and also check that the auto-update feature is enabled to ensure that your computer has the latest security features.

Passwords need to be unique and strong – these passwords need to be made up of upper and lower case letters as well as numbers. Never reveal your password to anyone. Passwords are an excellent guarantee of safety and security online.

Post with caution on social networking sites. It is a good idea to also understand how privacy settings work on social networks.

Don’t automatically install a software because it is free – these types of software are generally riddled with spyware which can slow or crash your computer.

Attachments can contain a virus and the virus can be transmitted to your computer as soon as you open the attachment. Be wary of suspect attachments, even from people you may know. If an email or attachment seems suspicious, don’t open it. Online criminals often use e-mails to get personal information from you in order to steal your identity. Sometimes these emails will invite you to click a link which downloads malware to your computer.

Although online banking is very convenient for seniors, be sure to only enter information into security-enabled sites. Sites for instance which begin with https:// means that the data is encrypted in transit. Look out for this and don’t enter any bank details or credit card information into websites that start only with http://

Emotional abuse is as rife online as it is elsewhere. It is best not to satisfy the abuser with any kind of response.

Never trust a link sent to you by someone you don’t know. By clicking the link you may be taken to a site that may look like your bank or credit card company, but it is not. One thing a criminal can’t fake is the actual website address of a company or bank. Instead of clicking a link in an e-mail, search for the Web address using a search engine such as google to find the real one. Ask the company about the message you received, or call using the number listed on your statements. Mark the real site as a favorite in your browser so that one click brings you there safely every time.

Never trust an e-mail that asks for your personal or account information (called a phishing scam). These usually seem convincing (the shabby ones have spelling errors, but the high quality scams look impeccable). No bank or reputable company is going to send you an e-mail asking you to correct your information, validate your identity, re-enter your password, and so on.

The smarter scams often contain text, warning you against fraud. They do this because many people believe that an e-mail that warns them to be careful must be legitimate. That is not always true. This also extends to sites that claim they have protections in place for your privacy and security. Anybody can make these claims, but only certain sites protect you.

Never respond – or even open an e-mail with a deal that is too good to be true unless it is from a company that you know well and expect to get these kinds of offers from them. Scammers want you to react without taking time to think through, so their e-mails frequently sound urgent, such as:

• “if we don’t hear by tomorrow your account will be closed” (and you’ll notice that the date of “tomorrow” never is listed).
• ”this offer won’t last, order now to ensure”

Never believe that someone you don’t know is going to give you money.

Do not believe a person from another country who just needs you to “help transfer funds” and they need your bank account number to do so. Such scammers promise to give you a huge amount of money for helping them out. The result is an empty bank account.

If you never entered a lottery, you can't win the lottery. Such scams ask you to provide your information and bank account number so they can transfer your prize money. Don’t, the result will be an empty bank account.

Don’t believe a really rich, famous person just wants to help you out… and that the celebrity also mysteriously needs your address, phone number, bank account information to do so. The result will be an empty bank account.

Are you a senior citizen who is active on Social Media? Have you offlate become friends with individuals from other countries (whom you don’t know in real life) and these online friends have been really caring and emotionally supportive. Have you ever wondered how these online oversees ‘friends’ have suddenly come into your life and become your emotional support. Well, many a time, these ‘friends’ are fraudsters who are spinning on elaborate web of deceit around you. They will, on some pretext or the other, trick you and emotionally blackmail you to share your hard earned retirement money with them. Don’t fall for such elaborate frauds.Apply the real world caution that you have learned over the years to virtual space too.

Don’t fall prey to fraud calls regarding Insurance Bonus, New policy with better coverage, etc. where the returns/gains offered are much higher than industry norm. These fraud callers have an eye on your retirement funds and induce you by promising exceptional returns.

Have an open conversation with your kids about safe browsing and computer use.

Do not replace physical parental supervision of computer use at home with any safe search engine or any other tool. No search filtering software or tool is perfect.

Educate yourself also on social media safety and have open discussions with teens about present dangers and long term effects of inappropriate conduct, including posting pictures/videos online.

Keep computer in an open area. Make a rule that doors are always left open when kids are online.

Advice your children to immediately exit any site that makes them feel uncomfortable or worried.

Parent should keep a track of persons with whom their children are talking to and which sites they are browsing. This is NOT invading their privacy at all , rather it is parenting in the digital space.

If you have found inappropriate content about your child please contact the service provider concerned and/or Police as soon as possible.

Majority of children would not like to tell their parents if they are bullied or harassed online for fear that they will lose internet access. Make sure that your children understand that they will not get in trouble if they tell you about a problem.

Children under 13 ARE NOT ALLOWED on Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, iTunes and many more. Don’t support your child to break the rules as they are not be the only one without these accounts.

Explain it to your child that all Social Networking Profiles MUST BE SET TO PRIVATE. Use all the security settings available to make the site as safe as possible.

Do not let young children to browse the ‘Google’ aimlessly with no supervision. Children need to be taught about search engines and how they work.

Don't allow your child to use Apps like SnapChat that immediately delete the posts. Apps prevent you from monitoring the child's online experience and you may never know what he is being subjected to

If you notice a sudden change in your child's behaviour, to check, among other things, his online activity on Facebook, WhatsApp etc.

Defend your computers. Keep all softwares (including your Web browser) with automatic updates and install all security updates that your IT department recommends. Use antivirus, antispam, and antispyware software and activate your firewall.

Think before you share sensitive information. Look for signs that a Web page is safe, before you enter sensitive personal or business data–a Web address with https (“s” for secure) and a closed padlock ( ) beside it. Never give sensitive info in response to an e-mail or instant message(IM) request.

Think before you click. Pause before you open attachments or click links in e-mail or IM even if you know the sender; they could be phony. Confirm with the sender that the message is real or visit the official Web site by typing the address yourself. Be wary of clicking links or buttons in pop-up windows.

Use strong passwords. Lock your online accounts, computer, phone, and other devices with passwords of at least eight characters length (longer is better), and include upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. Keep passwords and PINs secret. Don’t disclose them to coworkers or businesses (like an Internet café operator), or be tricked into giving them away. Don’t use the same password everywhere.

Protect yourself from e-mail scams. Look out for alarmist messages, misspellings and grammatical errors, deals that sound too good to be true, requests for sensitive information like account numbers, and other signs of a scam. Turn on a filter that warns you of suspicious Web sites.

Protect your data on the go. When you use public Wi-Fi, choose the most secure option, even if you have to pay for it. It could include password-protection and encryption. Confirm the exact spelling of the wireless network you’re connecting to. Beware of clever (slightly misspelled) fakes. Encrypt the data on your laptop (or USB flash drive) in case you lose it or it’s stolen. Guard your laptop, smartphone, and PDA as carefully as your wallet.

Restricting the types of websites that employees are allowed to visit can help you exclude the sites that could compromise your network.

Advise employees about which softwares are safe to be installed on their computer.

When someone outside of your business requests any personal or business information, verify that he is a safe person with whom information can be sent.

Write an Internet Usage Policy for personnel to follow and post it in an accessible place for all to see and refer to.

Set rules on what kinds of business information your employees can share online, and where.

Create instructions on whether your employees should use their working email to sign up for social media sites and newsletters.

Consider the implementation of a company social media policy, so that employees know what they should and should not post online.

Update all of your business softwares when you receive notifications to do so, so that all security fixes are up to date.

Instruct all of your employees to have complex passwords that have letters, numbers and symbols so they are harder for cyber criminals to steal/crack.

Always be suspicious of phone calls, emails or other communications from an unknown source.

Only visit legitimate and trusted websites while using business computers or working with business information.

Before providing personal information to anyone, verify that they are a trusted source (for example, a bank would not send out personal inquiries by email, so a call to the actual bank might be advised if such an email were received).

If someone is seeking your personal information, ask why the information is required.

If the answer does not seem satisfactory, do not provide it — or ask for their supervisor to get more details.

Never remove or disable any security safeguards put into place on business networks and computers (such as anti-virus software).

Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can be powerful tools for your business to reach potential customers and build stronger relationships with clients. However, social networking sites and services are becoming an increasingly popular way for cyber criminals to try to get your personal or business information to hack into your personal or business computer systems.

If your business uses social networking sites for marketing or professional purposes, you will need to choose one or more employees, and only allow them to post content in your business's name.

Use caution when you click links that you receive in messages from your friends on social website. Treat links in messages on these sites as you would treat links in e-mail messages.

Always remember what you’ve posted about yourself. A common way that hackers break into financial or other accounts is by clicking the “Forgot your password?” link on the account login page. To break into your account, they search for the answers to your security questions, such as your birthday, hometown, high school class, father’s middle name, on your social networking site. If the site allows, make up your own password questions, and don’t draw them from material anyone could find with a quick search.

Don’t trust that a message is really from one who has been shown there. Hackers can break into accounts and send messages that looks like they’re from your friends, but they aren’t. If you suspect that a message is fraudulent, use an alternate method to contact your friend to find out its veracity. This includes invitations to join new social networks.

To avoid fetching of e-mail addresses of your friends, do not allow social networking services to scan your e-mail address book. When you join a new social network, you might receive an offer to enter your e-mail address and password to find out if your contacts are on the network. The site might use this information to send e-mail messages to everyone in your contact list or even to everyone you’ve ever sent an e-mail message with that e-mail address. Social networking sites should explain that they’re going to do this, but some do not.

Type the address of your social networking site directly into your browser or use your personal bookmarks. If you click a link to your site through e-mail or another website, you might be entering your account name and password into a fake site where your personal information could be stolen.

Be selective about one whom you accept as a friend on a social network. Identity thieves might create fake profiles in order to get information from you.

Choose your social network carefully. Evaluate the site that you plan to use and make sure that you understand the privacy policy. Find out if the site monitors content that people post. You will be providing personal information to this website, so carefully examine that the site where you are going to provide details of your credit card.

Assume that everything you put on a social networking site is permanent. Even if you delete your account, anyone on the Internet can easily print photos or text or save images or screenshots or videos in his device.

Be careful about installing extras on your site. Many social networking sites allow you to download third-party applications that let you do more with your personal page. Criminals sometimes use these applications to steal your personal information. To download and use third-party applications safely, take the same safety precautions that you take with any other program or file, you download from the Web.

Think twice before you use social networking sites at work.

Talk to your kids about social networking & brief them about DO’s & Don’t’s.

Social networking should be addressed in your business's Internet Usage Policy with clear advice to employees. Here are some social networking issues that you should consider:

Be clear on what information about your business can be posted and who is authorized to do so.

Refrain from including sensitive business information in the business profile or in your posts.

Be careful using applications on social networking sites. Many of these come from third parties and may not be secure. Always check on the application provider first.

When communicating through social media, be suspicious of any messages that are asking for sensitive business information or about employees and their families.

Think before you post! What you post on social media sites is generally permanent. You may someday change your mind about what you said online, but you can't remove or change it permanently as it might have been save as screenshots by someone.

Criminals are interested in the information you post. To help your business stay safe, make sure you use the site's privacy controls and ignore requests from people you don't know.

Review and stay up to date with the social networking site's privacy policies (most are updated frequently) and adjust personal privacy settings appropriately.

Never reveal your precise location online.

Password protect the mobile phone having your banking application. It is recommended to set the maximum number of incorrect password submissions no more than three.

Choose a strong password to keep your account and data safe

Review your account statements frequently to check for any unauthorized transactions

Change your password regularly

Report a lost or stolen phone immediately to your service provider and law enforcement authorities

Never give your PIN or confidential information over the phone or internet. Never share these details with anyone

Don’t click on links embedded in emails/social networking sites claiming to be from the bank or representing the bank

Don’t transfer funds without due validation of the recipient, as funds once transferred cannot be reversed

Don’t store sensitive information such as credit card details, mobile banking password and user ID in a separate folder on your phone

Don’t forget to inform the bank of changes in your mobile number to ensure that SMS notifications are not sent to someone else

Never reveal or write down PINs or retain any email or paper communication from the bank with regard to the PIN or password

Be cautious while accepting offers such as caller tunes or dialer tunes or open/download emails or attachments from known or unknown sources

Be cautious while using Bluetooth in public places as someone may access your confidential data/information

Be careful about the websites you are browsing, if it does not look authentic, do not download anything from it