Whilst I normally spend a lot of my writing topics focused on making money and saving money, one key which I haven’t written much about in the past which is keeping your home, belongings and most importantly yourself and your family safe from crime.
The crime rate in the UK is fluctuating throughout various areas and is on the rise in some so it is always best to take precautions ahead of time when it comes to protecting your family and what you work hard for.
Many of us like to think we’re safe in our neighbours and also on the digital space online but many of us fall victim to horrible crimes such as theft (either from our homes or our online bank accounts) and today I want to share some tips on how we can prevent this.
Staying safe online
Use Two Factor Authentication on Devices
How many of us know someone who had the unfortunate bad luck of getting their bank account hacked and having some anonymous thief spending through their savings or using their credit cards? Maybe this has happened to you in the past?
It is becoming easier for hackers to obtain the details they need to get into our online accounts so it is incredibly important that we take precautions. Using two-factor authentication can be a huge barrier for any potential hackers to get into your accounts. What two-factor authentication is, is simply using more than one device to log into your account. Whilst they may sound like a faff, it almost impossible for anyone to have access to your account without having access to your devices.
Use different, strong passwords on all your accounts
It is tempting for us to just use the same password on every account but this can heavily compromise your security. If that password is obtained by someone with malicious intentions, they now have access to every account with that password. I highly recommend using a generator to create a strong password that is a random combination of numbers, letters and symbols for each of your accounts. If you feel like you’ll have trouble remembering all these passwords, just download a program such as LastPass or 1Password. These will store your passwords for you so you don’t have to remember them all.
Always log out of websites
Many of us will use devices outside our home and log into our personal accounts on them. Be sure that when you leave, you may sure to log out of every website and program you’ve used. Any access can easily comprise the security of all your other accounts. Some apps and websites will have an auto-logout feature which I’d recommend using if you frequently use devices outside your ownership.
Staying safe in your home
Install a burglar alarm in your house
You’ll be surprised to hear that up to 70% of the UK popular does not have any type of burglar alarm installed in their home. Doing this one time purchase will give you an immense amount of security and make you a lot safer in comparison to many of your neighbours.
Check your locks and windows are up to scratch
You don’t want to make potential thieves lives easier by neglecting to fix broken locks or windows in your home. Keep up to date on checking them and if there are any issues at all, get them fixed as soon as possible. Also, this goes without saying, but make sure you lock all your doors and windows whenever you go out. It’s easier than you think for someone to sneak in through a window or unlocked door!
Staying safe in your car
Secure your car
Whilst your home and online accounts are important, many people fail to neglect to secure their cars. Car crime is on the rise in the UK and it is sadly why car insurance prices are so high here. You can protect your car from being broken into our stolen by installing devices such as a car alarm and tracking devices. All cars made from 1998 onwards have car immobilisers installed in them which prevents a car from being started from someone who doesn’t have the proper key, if your car was made before 1998, definitely look into getting one of these installed.
You can also by steering wheel/gearstick locks. These aren’t super high in cost and are simply locked into place in your car when it’s not in use. While someone knowledgable in car theft may be able to get past this, these locks are used more as a deterrent since it will mean that breaking into your car will impose more time and therefore more risk.
It’s also better to be safe than sorry and to also have that feeling of security. There’s nothing worse than being the victim of a crime so it’s worth spending a bit of extra time and money to avoid this happening.
