"Take it seriously and act now": Jersey's Head of Cyber Security warns islanders of digital threats

• From data attacks to digital threats: Sophie Dulson has been delving deep into the world of cyber crime.

Cyber crime is all around us. It is happening across the world every single second of the day and the worrying part is it can happen anywhere, whether you are on a shopping trip or sending a work email.

Jersey's Director of Cyber Security, Matt Palmer says "it is scarily easy to hack somebody and gain access to their data or systems".

"In the last week or so, we have seen residents losing tens of thousands of pounds to cyber attacks and scams. Unfortunately, it happens all the time and what we are seeing is an uptick in the number of these that are successful."

It is easy to think a small jurisdiction like Jersey may not come under threat. But despite being physically small we are giants when it comes to the world of finance, leaving us somewhat vulnerable.Matt Palmer explains: "The finance centre does increase the threat profile to Jersey, for example we saw Jersey being named on Russia's list of unfriendly jurisdictions following the introductions of sanctions after Russia invaded Ukraine, along with a number of other countries but we are there, we are visible, we're on that list, we're on the radar."

Once a hacker has breached a person's device it is alarming the rate in which they can obtain personal data from your devices.

Paul Dutot, Head of Jersey's Cyber Defence said: "The current trend for a lot of attackers is to attack router vulnerabilities on the internet.

"If you are a company and your main firewall has a vulnerability it can take as little as six hours before they are entirely compromised across the globe."But the good news is, where there is cyber crime there is cyber security.

What is cyber security?

Cyber security is how we protect the electronic devices and online services we use every day. This includes devices like smartphones, laptops, tablets and computers. It also includes online services we use at home and at work.

Because of how often we use these services and devices, they hold a lot of data about us. This includes personal and sensitive data. Organisations also hold data about us.

• Banks and financial service businesses have information about their clients.

• Small businesses have information about their customers.

• Charities have information about who is giving them money.

Whether the data is held by a company, a charity, or your own device: all this data is valuable to cyber criminals. They may want to steal, damage, or get access to to your data for financial gain. When they do, it’s referred to as a cyber attack.

But we can make it harder for criminals: we can protect our devices and the services they use. This is the core of cyber security.

Matt Palmer says people need to 'take cyber crime seriously' and 'act now'.

"A lot of us a really well intentioned, we intend to set good passwords, use multi-factor authentication, which sounds complicated but its just using a device like a phone as well as a password to protect yourself, we plan to lock down our social media accounts but very often we don't, so the first step is just go out there and do those really sensible first steps."

How to spot a scam

Be on the lookout for these common signs of scams:

• Fake reviews

  Scammers often use fake reviews to make their offers look more legitimate.

• Misleading sign-up processes

  Be on the lookout for unclear or deceptive sign-up procedures

• High-pressure sales tactics

  Be wary of offers that pressure you into making quick decisions

• Clickbait headlines

  Scams will often use headlines designed to grab your attention and make you click

• Sense of urgency

  Offers that are time-limited or create a sense of urgency are common scam tactics

• No trading history

  If a company has no trading history or a poor reputation, be cautious

• No local entity

  If the business isn’t locally-recognised or registered, it’s a red flag

What you can do

Here are some steps you can take to protect yourself from online scams:

• Use reputable local businesses

  Stick with companies you know and trust. If you don’t recognise a company, try to search for independent reviews.

• Verify who you’re dealing with

  Scammers often avoid revealing their true identities or details about their operations. Check website terms and conditions and privacy policies – these should clearly state the name of the legal entity you’re dealing with.

• Check for registration

  In the case of companies providing some kind of financial service, you should check that the company is registered with the Jersey Financial Services Commission

• Research independently

  Instead of clicking on links from online ads or SMS messages, look up the company online yourself via a search engine. This will give you access to unbiased information and reviews.

Remember, if you find a cyber scam that you think might pose a serious risk to you or others, you can report it to JCSC on 01534 500050. If you have been a victim of fraud, you should report it to the States of Jersey Police by calling +44 (00) 1534 612 612.

Always remember, if something seems to good to be true, it probably is.