Safer Internet Day 2025 takes place today (Tuesday 11 February), with the aim of creating a safer and better internet for all – particularly for children and young people online.
Safer Internet Day is the UK’s biggest celebration of online safety. Covering a different theme each year, the programme is created in consultation with young people across the UK.
This year, Safer Internet Day is focused on: Too good to be true? Protecting yourself and others from scams online. Here are a few tips to help protect yourself from scams online:
- Be aware: if something doesn’t look quite right, don’t be afraid to double check it or ask for support. Don’t give out your details until you have verified the organisation that needs these details, and why they need them.
- Report anything unusual: When you suspect something isn’t quite right, report it to the IT Service Desk; you can email us, call or visit us in person. See our phishing page for more details.
- Always use strong passwords, and don’t share them with anyone else: Visit our passwords page for more details.
- Make sure your software is up to date: Updating your devices helps to protect against software vulnerabilities, which scammers can take advantage of. When your device prompts you to accept an update, make the time to do this. On your personal devices, ensure you have antivirus software installed.
- Keep your working environment secure: As well as using antivirus software, make sure you don’t leave your devices alone and unlocked in spaces where others could access them.
- Do account health checks: This could mean taking a look at your sign in history regularly (a lot of online services offer this information), check which devices you have registered for multi-factor authentication (and if any of them are unfamiliar), and check for mailbox rules you don't recognise.
- Ask for support if you need it: contact our service desk on itservicedesk@rhul.ac.uk.
An email scam story
With emerging technologies and new methods, scammers and criminals are becoming increasingly successful at accessing sensitive information. If you are a victim of a scam, there is no need to feel embarrassed, but reporting it to the IT Service Desk is vital to protect yourself and others in the future.