Kia ora,

Now that autumn is upon us it’s time to enjoy the last of the warm weather for a while. Make sure to lock your house and outbuildings up if you’re heading out and about to make sure your house is safe and secure. It’s also a good time to remind ourselves that it’s not only our houses that need to be kept safe. Some simple tips can ensure that your financial and personal information is kept just that; personal.

• Ensure you have password access codes on computers that are changed regularly and are not easily figured out like phone numbers or car registrations.

• Be very careful who you give personal information to, especially over the phone or internet.

• Secure your letterbox so no-one can get access to your mail.

• Keep track of transactions and regularly check statements to make sure there are no anomalies or unauthorised transactions. If there are, contact your bank or Credit Card Company immediately.

• Keep cards safe and immediately tell your bank, or Credit Card Company if they are stolen or missing. Choose your PIN carefully, have different PINs for each card and try to memorise them

• Invest in a security and virus software package for your computer and password protect documents containing personal information.

• If purchasing goods over the internet always make sure that you are making payments or providing personal details in a secure area. You will usually be alerted when entering a secure area or you will require a password.

• Check out the company you are trading with. Make sure they have a physical address and contact details and you keep a record of transactions with time, dates and order numbers.

• If you receive an email or letter suggesting you are a winner and to claim the prize you need to provide personal information or advanced fees, the chances are it is a scam.

• Some emails circulate with pleas for help in accessing a large sum of money from which you will benefit. Others will pull on the heart strings with a medical emergency you can help with. These are scams.

• Some criminals will masquerade as trustworthy organisations, sometimes even using the logos of banks, financial institutions and companies to obtain sensitive information. This is known as phishing. Remember - if you are not expecting it, and it is asking for personal data or bank account details it is probably a scam

If you think you’ve been scammed, we urge you to report the incident as soon as possible to your nearest police station and warn your friends and family so others in the community are also aware of this scam.

The best advice however is to listen to your gut feelings. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Cyber bullying and other forms of harmful digital communication constitute a relatively new and emerging crime type. Police take all such reported offending very seriously and encourage anyone who believes they have been subjected to harassment on the internet to report it to Police. Netsafe provides great information on how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe online www.netsafe.org.nz