Page 11 - 2.1

JIMINY SELF-HELP HANDBOOK 11

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/VO5w2Ida70s

Dangers behind Internet Usage
We use the Internet every day for various purposes. It gives us quick access to the information we
need. At the same time, however, it is worth remembering that the Internet carries many risks - the
network is not fully controlled, so there is no room for any negligence on the part of users. Many times,
in the media there is information about data theft, virtual violence and other negative phenomena, to
which anyone using the Internet may be exposed. Many people assume that the threats do not affect
them, because they only browse websites or contact their friends, yet each of us is a potential victim
of virtual threats. The number of emails sent by fraudsters is frightening. Sometimes emails from
scammers are “perfectly fake”, they look the same as emails from the institution they impersonate.
We should also beware of suspicious sites or sites that try to imitate well-known ones. All this has one
purpose, which is to obtain data, because it is valuable for both advertisers and, unfortunately,
fraudsters. If something raises our doubts on the Internet, it is better not to click on it or check a
given page in advance using an antivirus program. Much of the Internet is unfortunately full of false
ads, fake news and other elements that are supposed to attract our attention.
What is more, permanent access to the network on a smartphone or computer from any place exposes
us also to completely new dangers. Using the Internet, we can fall prey to a virus, spyware or simply
fraud. It is very common to experience fraud attempts. Usually the criminal wants to scam our data in
different ways. The illusion of anonymity on the web is quite dangerous. It is important to remember
never to give sensitive information on the Internet without first carefully checking the inquiry
source. It could be used in an undesirable way. Unfortunately, there are many such threats and we
should know how to protect ourselves from them.

Something what seems to be obvious, often is not so at all. A simple example is sending documents
across networks. Internet users should never send copies of documents online when they are not