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Everyday skills guides · Guide 3 of 6
Staying safe online
Passwords, OTPs, scams and job-offer warning signs.
Key ideas
- Passwords: use a long password that is different for each important account. A few random words joined together is easy to remember and hard to guess. Never share it.
- OTP and PIN: never tell an OTP, PIN or card number to anyone — not even someone who says they are from a bank or a company.
- Links and messages: do not click links in unexpected messages. Open the official website yourself.
- Two-step verification: turn it on for email and important accounts.
- Updates: keep your phone and apps updated.
- Public Wi-Fi: avoid banking or entering passwords on public networks.
Job-offer warning signs
- You are asked to pay money — for registration, training, a kit or “security”.
- The offer comes from a free email address pretending to be a company.
- You are promised very high pay for very little work.
- You are pushed to decide quickly or to move to a private chat.
- They ask for your bank login, OTP or ID documents before you have a written offer from a company you have checked.
If something feels wrong, stop and talk to someone you trust. In India you can report cyber fraud at the national cybercrime portal (cybercrime.gov.in) or call 1930.
Try it
Pick one important account and (1) change its password to a long, unique one, (2) turn on two-step verification, (3) write down how you would recover it if you lost your phone.
Check yourself
1. Someone phones saying they are from your bank and asks for the OTP. What do you do?
Banks never need your OTP. Never share it.
2. Which is a job-scam warning sign?
Genuine employers do not ask you to pay to get a job.
Original beginner learning material by Bigsun Technologies for the Bigsun Udaan initiative. It is a learning aid, not an accredited course or a guarantee of employment.