Home is our safe place right now, but currently, home is also a mess! Many of us are experiencing challenges we never had to deal with before, at least not on a daily basis. It isn’t easy to try to keep up with work from home, while helping children with homeschool tasks, and taking care of domestic chores. Sharing the internet connection with all family members can also slow down the whole process, especially if the internet is being used inappropriately. In this confusion, we tend to get easily distracted and we could be missing important safety measures. That’s why our team of international private investigators have written this simple guide to help all of you stay safe online.

Tips for video conference calls

Video conference calls have skyrocketed since the quarantine started. You probably had a laugh or two already with those people misusing their webcams while on video calls. Most people manage to be dressed and tidy for their work video calls, but there are other things to have in mind. During a video call, try to sit against a wall in your home. This will not only keep away the distractions in the back, like children or other people from passing behind, but it will also help with privacy. You may trust your co-workers, but the cases of people hacking into private meetings have also increased exponentially. It has become so popular that Zoombombing is now a thing. If this happened in any of your meetings, the least a hacker can see from your home, personal space and family, the better. Also, be sure to check the privacy settings and the recommendations from the video call app you are using. Sensitive work data should not be shared during this kind of meeting.

Verify new friends and internet dates

Keep in mind that your are now working in the same place that you socialize, and you probably keep sensitive work and personal information in the same device. Nobody has the same work security infrastructure at home, so we need to be more responsible than ever with what we do online. Criminals will be using dating sites and social networks to friend people and prey for all that valuable data. They will also use what you share to harass or blackmail their victims. There is no need to stop all social contact, or to stop meeting people. But hire a professional online dating verification or a background check investigation from a reputable private investigation company to make sure the people you talk to are who they claim to be and not just a criminal trying to harm you.

Be careful with unknown links

Everyone who is working from home has probably seen an increase in emails, chat messages, and requests to follow links for different tasks. Make sure you only follow links that come from a reliable source! Double check if that bank email is coming from the same address as usual, or if there are any changes. Phishing is easier when people are too busy to check, so scammers will try harder during this quarantine season. Don’t enter your password or personal ID in any unsolicited email or communication, and keep your eyes open to suspicious links.

Don’t forget your children are in the same circumstances

Many are homeschooling, using apps they had never used before to keep classes on track. The same safety measures apply to them. Children will not normally be aware of the risks, so it is parent’s duty to keep them safe. Show them how to set privacy settings in their accounts, teach them to keep their webcams taped unless they really need to use them for class, and check what they’ve been doing once in a while. It is hard to take care of all, but it is harder to find out they’ve been exploited by a sexual predator online. It is important to take the time to help them manage their internet interactions.

Stay safe, online and offline!!

C. Wright
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