If I Could Teach The World of Internet Users

During the last few years Internet fraud and online threats have increased dramatically. I hear or read about someone being victimized nearly every day through a smartphone or use of the Internet. And that’s not taking into account the many businesses who suffer data breaches of their user’s trusted personal information. It’s time to admit the obivious… Cyber-criminals freely target the world’s citizens with impunity. I’ve tried writing articles and newsletters for TheDailyScam.com pointing fingers at ICANN and the Registrars hoping to shame them into doing better to protect the rest of us but my efforts are useless. They are the ones at the top of the Internet food chain and I am just an ant screaming at giants in their ivory towers. So it’s time to try a different approach and dream big.

I dreamed… what if I could stand before Internet users of the world and magically impart just ten important skills to help them use the Internet more safely? What might these skills be that would have the greatest impact to reduce everyone’s risks? Truth be told, I am not naïve enough to think I can eliminate Internet crime. But I do believe that ten basic skills can dramatically decrease the risks to Internet users for becoming the next victim of fraud, or accidently infecting their computers with malware, or handing over their personal information to phishing scams.

After many drafts, I’ve listed the ten most important Internet safety skills I wish every netizen had, along with links to articles at TheDailyScam.com that address each point, and I am hoping for your feedback…

  1. Understand how to create sets of strong passwords that are not difficult to remember, and understand why it is as important to do this for email and social media accounts as financial accounts.
       Creating Strong Passwords: https://thedailyscam.com/creating-strong-passwords
  1. Understanding email addresses as a way to expose fraud and identify risk.
      Where its @! https://www.thedailyscam.com/where-its-at/
      Why is This Legitimate? https://www.thedailyscam.com/why-is-this-legitimate/
  1. Understanding fully qualified domains names, including sub-domains as an easy way to expose fraud.
    How to Surf Safely: https://www.thedailyscam.com/how-to-surf-safely/
  1. Recognizing 2-letter country codes and why this is so important.
    Country Code Scams: https://thedailyscam.com/country-code-scams/
  1. Using mouse-over skills to evaluate links before clicking on them; understanding how to use mouse-over skills on i-devices like iPads and smartphones.
    Mouse-Over Skills: https://thedailyscam.com/articles/mouse-over-skill/
    Mouse-Over Skills Video: https://thedailyscam.com/mouse-over-skills/
    Mouse-Over Skills on iDevices: https://www.thedailyscam.com/mouse-over-skills-on-i-devices/
  1. The importance of “s” in https.
    How to Surf Safely: https://www.thedailyscam.com/how-to-surf-safely/
  1. The value of recognizing poor English and grammar as a way to expose fraud. There are many examples where TheDailyScam brings attention to poor English and grammar as a way to detect fraud.
  1. The risks of shortened URLs and how to un-shorten them.
    Risks of Shortened URLs: https://thedailyscam.com/articles/shortened-urls-what-are-they-and-why-should-i-care/
  1. Understanding the risks associated with file types.
    Filenames Will Set You Free! https://thedailyscam.com/file-names-will-set-you-free/
  1. Using the power of Google and several other online tools to expose fraud.
    Use Google to Detect Fraud: https://www.thedailyscam.com/use-google-to-detect-fraud/
    Other tools include:
        Zulu URL Risk Analyzer
        WHOIS Tool
        Sucuri.net Sitecheck
        VirusTotal.com

I welcome every reader’s input on my list of selected skills. Please email your feedback to feedback@thedailyscam.com.  Also, consider sharing the above list with friends and colleagues to engage them in this conversation. Together, we can only make the list of skills better!  I’ll post an updated list in a future article at TheDailyScam.com.

Thanks for your input!  Please consider making a donation to our effort.  Even $5 helps us pay for the cost of our website, domains, server use and protective services to keep us up and running.




Doug Fodeman
Content Director, TheDailyScam.com