On 12 September, 2019, Get Safe Online shared online safety information to 1500 senior citizens at the Annual General Meeting for the Trinidad & Tobago Association of Retired Persons (TTARP) in Trinidad & Tobago. Following this event, the company launched its second public awareness campaign — Get Smart, Get Safe — on 1 October, 2019. The campaign countries include Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, Grenada, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & The Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago. Each country has its own dedicated online safety resource website that is supported by the campaign, and the site for Trinidad and Tobago is www.getsafeonline.tt.
Get Safe Online continues to encourage every citizen to visit their country website to learn about how they can stay safe online by taking small safety steps. Mr. Peter Davies, Global Ambassador for Get Safe Online, doesn’t want people to be scared away from internet use. According to Mr. Davies: “Most people already have a “digital life,” and benefit from the information, opportunities and personal empowerment it can bring. Creating and sustaining a digital economy also brings more wealth and opportunities to the region. We want people to realise those benefits confidently while knowing how to avoid pitfalls such as lottery scams, romance fraud, and phishing. We also want to encourage people — especially the younger generation — not to “overshare” personal images or information. That can come back to haunt them and put them at risk.”
Research shows that the elderly and children are particularly vulnerable to online predators. Still, cybercrime should be everyone’s concern — “you’re a citizen by birth, smart by choice”, according to the slogan for Get Smar, Get Safe. Being “Smart” is cultivated through awareness and knowledge. When approached by a scam, the consumer can choose to find out if its legitimate or take the bait into being scammed. Every citizen can choose to be smart when it comes to online predators and criminals, and “smart actions” should be taught, developed, and utilised daily. The campaign is positioned to promote “scam literacy” programmes across target segments and improve consumer knowledge and consumer behaviour concerning cybercrimes.
Do not become a victim of cyber-crime. Be sure to gain insight and share information with others.
