A cyber crime is an offence that can only be carried out if someone has a device that can connect to the internet, like a computer, phone or games console.

The criminals use the online connection to allow them to attack victims remotely, so they don’t have to be even in the same country, never mind nearby.

They often disguise themselves as someone you know or as a company you use so you believe that what you are reading is genuine.

Identity Fraud

A criminal could for example, get access to your computer or one of your profiles without asking.

This is often done using what is called Malware (short for ‘malicious software’) which sets up home in your computer and tries to access your files or passwords.

They then use what they find to stop you using programmes or apps. Or more likely, they could use it to pretend to be you to spread their virus to your friends or family members.

Protect Yourself

There are some very simple rules to follow when it comes to protecting yourself from these kind of cyber crimes.

Don’t click on any links or open anything from people you don’t know. Have you checked the email address or profile name to make sure it is right and definitely who you think it is?

And don’t share your password with anyone. Even better, change it every so often (although make sure you it is something you can remember!) so they can’t find out what it is.

The same goes for your personal details. Things like your date of birth might not seem important, but it is sometimes used as a security question, and if a cyber criminal knows your date of birth, they might be able to get access to your profiles.

One way they might try to find that out is by putting posts like quizzes up on social media, asking those kind of questions. People think they are just a bit of fun, post their answers and encourage others to do the same, not realising that they are giving away valuable information.

Stay Up To Date And Private

Make sure you’ve got virus protection software installed on your device, and that it is up-to-date. That way it’ll keep an eye out and stop any bad software or attacks.

And lastly, make sure you know where your privacy settings are, and that they are turned on. They allow you to control who sees what you put online, and can stop people seeing things you want to keep private or stop them from speaking to you.