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Protect your data with our top tips for internet safety

As you may already know, fraudsters sometimes try to steal your confidential information by contacting you through phone calls, text messages or emails that look or sound just like a real company – possibly a company that you've shopped with or you're registered with. This is called "phishing" (or "smishing" if they do it via SMS).

It's about getting you to hand over your personal details directly to them so they don't have to go to the trouble of hacking a website or stealing your information the hard way.

But how can you tell what's real or not? Well, responsible companies like Argos will never ask you to confirm any personal information via a text or email or by calling you out of the blue.

HERE'S SOME HANDY TIPS TO HELP KEEP YOU SAFE FROM ONLINE FRAUD:

REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION
Genuine companies will never email or text you to ask for things like usernames, passwords, dates of birth or your debit/credit card details. For example, Argos will never send an email or SMS asking you to confirm your Argos Card details. If you get an email or SMS like this or that looks at all suspicious, don't click on any links, don't respond to it and delete it.

CHECK WHAT NUMBER YOU'RE CALLING
If you don’t recognise the phone number in the SMS or email, don’t call it. Google the number if you’re not sure OR, for Argos Card, call the number on the back of your actual plastic Card.

CHECK WHAT SITE YOU'RE USING
If you get an email or SMS that links through to a site asking for personal details, check it's genuine. Check that the web address is one you know (it might even look similar – e.g. my-argos-card.net – but that doesn't mean it's real). Look out for spelling mistakes and unusual layouts. If you're in any doubt, use a web browser to search for the site and log in from there. For example, Argos will always ask you to fully log into a site if you want to change your details online. Also, look out for the little padlock in your address bar, which shows that the site is secure before you enter any personal data.

USE STRONG PASSWORDS
Always use unique passwords that can't easily be guessed. Avoid common words or people's names and remember to change your passwords regularly. Do not use the same password across multiple websites. And if you're using a public computer or a computer used by multiple people, make sure that you fully log out each time and don't let the browser save your usernames or passwords.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Don't click on links in social media posts, tweets or direct messages if anything seems out of the ordinary or too good to be true. If you're not sure if the link is real, contact the official page. For example, Argos has a verified blue tick on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so if you're unsure about a post that looks like it might come from us, contact one of our official social media pages and ask.

DATA COMPROMISES
If you've ever had data compromised with any other organisation and you use the same password with us, you should change it straight away. Fraudsters will often use data stolen from one website on a lot of different websites, so it's always better to be safe and change all your passwords.

WORRIED YOUR DATA HAS BEEN STOLEN?

If you're concerned that your Argos Card data has been stolen because you responded to an email or SMS that looked like it was from Argos, let us know as soon as possible by calling the number on the back of your Argos Card.

For more free expert advice on staying safe online, visit the Police Action Fraud website or search "Take 5".