Skype Security and Safety Tips for beginners

We have seen how to setup and use Skype to make FREE calls. Once you have set it up, before you start using it, there are a few precautions you need to take in order to stay safe online while using Skype.

The Internet can be a dangerous place and one must be very careful while interacting with the person at the other end. There used to be a time when people advised that we needed to tell our kids to be careful when on the net, but well, things are different. Kids are smart these days! Nevertheless it would be a good idea to caution you kids as well as you grand-parents about the need to take a few precautions when on Skype

Here are a few Security and Safety Tips for Skype.

1. First and foremost choose and use a strong and unique password for your Skype account.
2. Make sure that your Windows operating system, Skype and security software is up-to-date, always.
3. Always authenticate the identity of the person at the other end; especially before discussing private or confidential details, such as your home address or sensitive work data.
4. Always make sure you trust the website or person at the other end before giving out sensitive information like you personal details. Again take care before giving out your credit card information to any websites which may claim to be reselling Skype products.
5. To harden your security, you can update your preferences by opening Skype and clicking Tools > Options > Privacy. Here you can set your preferences for receiving communications.
6. Your Skype profile acts as your calling card to millions of other people on Skype. So make sure you know what you want to give out there. Your email address is of course not given out but is securely stored by Skype. But the public parts of your Skype profile can be seen by everyone else on Skype. So do not put details here that you do not want everyone to see.
7. Beware of fake emails, calls, etc. These could be simple phishing instances. Best to stay away from such contacts to avoid online fraud, spam, viruses and phishing attempts.
8. While using Skype at work, it might be agood idea to have a list of known Skype Names for all colleagues.
9. Whenever you log in to your Skype My Account page, please make sure that you use the secure URL : https://secure.skype.com.