Watch out for bogus free Wi-Fi if you’re banking on going online while you’re away this Christmas.
That’s the message from police and one of the Island’s phone companies who say airports, bars and busy coffee shops are rife with phoney free connections and hackers trying to steal your money.
Airtel-Vodafone say Islanders should take precautions to stop hackers waiting to access confidential information on smartphones, tablets and PCs.
Chief Executive Ian Campbell said: “We are aware that this sort of activity has taken place in airports for example. With lots of Islanders travelling over the Christmas period, people really need to be careful and ensure that they are not putting in sensitive information such as bank and credit card details over insecure networks.
“There are precautions that can be taken. Business users, for example, should set up a VPN or Virtual Private Network that creates a connection to a secured network from outside of the network.”
Detective Chief Inspector Chris Beechey said: “Many people assume that using public Wi-Fi networks (hotspots) is safe, however you can rarely know exactly who has access to that network or the security setup surrounding it. By taking a few simple steps you can help protect yourself and your personal information from criminals whilst using public Wi-Fi networks.”
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