With many benefits of the Internet, this global network can also be a place of scams, hacks, and frauds. Exposure to the risk is even bigger now, with the expanding popularity of mobile devices and ease of accessing the network. It is important that you are aware of the safety issues on internet and know how to protect your personal data.
For students from South Pacific Countries where smartphones and computers are gaining popularity, Internet can be a risky business.
However, it doesn’t have to be. Just read these helpful tips and get yourself started with safe browsing, secure international money transfers and making sure you are a smart web user!
- Research before approaching the first contact
When approaching the first contact of a new company it is important that you search information about it. For the first step, search for the company’s profile on the internet by visiting their website and reading the recommendations. Moreover, a reliable website will provide correct and functional contact details, photos of the team members or head of the company, as well as evidence with the testimonials!
- Check the website’s security
There is an easy way to confirm whether the website is secure. When you write the website address in the search engine, the URL will appear with “https:” at the front. The “s” means that the website is secure. Also, secure websites will show a lock icon just next to the URL.
- Check the mailing extension
When you receive an email from an unknown sender ensure that you check their email address extension. This can be the first red light when you receive an email from a new sender. Secure email providers are: gmail.com, yahoo.com, and outlook.com. Email-extension which should certainly increase your concern is – mail-me.com. Whenever you see an email address with this extension, you should not contact the sender again. There is a high possibility that an effort is being made to scam you!
- Secure international money transfer
Making International money transfers can be stressful. It is important that you pay attention to the details provided by the sender. Transfers for big amounts like tuition fees can be problematic and inconvenient through your local bank. When making this transfer, you need to:
1) Confirm bank details and name of the sender – when paying tuition fees, compare bank details on the invoice with the official bank details provided on the school’s website. The beneficiary details should also match to the school’s name. The invoice can be issued only by the school with the school stamp, logo, and signature.
2) Check the bank location whether it matches with the city or country where the school is located.
3) Call before paying – whether you are paying for a small fee or you are transferring a big amount for tuition fees, it is always recommended to call the provider. Contact details should be provided in the invoice.
4) Never hesitate to ask questions – asking questions will not only make you feel comfortable but talking with the person and receiving all required information will confirm that you are dealing with a relevant person who has knowledge of the whole process.
- Never share your documents on public platforms
Even if you already trust the company and you want to send them your documents – never do this via social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Whatsapp. You can however send different enquiries through these platforms, as well as send your contact details in the private messages. However, any personal documents like passport, birth certificate, ID card, should never be shared on these public forums! Sharing such documents in a private message or on a public forum might attract scammers who will use your information to pressurize you into making bad decisions.
Ferguson Group cares about their clients. This article has been created to draw attention to this important matter to make sure the process of obtaining a visa is safe and fluent. Please contact Ferguson Team if you have any concerns or experienced any suspicious actions in the past.