Whenever you sign up to anything online – such as social media, email or banking – you’ll be asked to create an account using a login name and a password.
Your password is one way of protecting your personal information. It’s really important that you choose something that no one can guess. It’s also really important that you don’t give your password to anyone else.
You probably already know about identity theft. If you don’t protect your personal information or use strong passwords, it’s easy for someone to access your information and pretend to be you.
They could apply for a bank loan in your name, access your money, or take control of your mobile phone account. With enough information, they could even apply for a passport and travel in your name.
Top tips to make a strong password:
- Use upper and lower case letters, numbers and keyboard symbols.
- Try not to use obvious choices like your birthday or name.
- Longer passwords are better, ideally at least eight characters long.
- Create different passwords for each account you use.
- Change your passwords regularly.