119 years ago, at FMG’s inception, the idea of being safe online would have been a vastly foreign concept. Now it is part of the day to day offering from FMG alongside the likes of fire safety and theft advice.

This week, as part of the country’s Cyber Smart Week, FMG has launched an online learning module aimed at helping to upskill their clients (and anyone else who wants to give it a go) on how to stay safe online.

Advice Service Manager Angela Taylor commented that when farmers and growers become increasingly reliant on digital technologies for their businesses and personal lives, they become more vulnerable to cyber threats.

“We know that small businesses including smaller rural businesses are increasingly becoming targets for cyber-crime and we need to find new ways of engaging with clients when it comes to complex topics like these.

In fact, the scary reality is that according to the National Cyber Security Centre, New Zealanders lose $198m to scams each year.

“Farmers and growers need to understand the value of the data they hold, the compounding impacts a cyber breach may have and the potential vulnerabilities within their systems. The new module is designed to do just that and give them tools to reduce the risk of being exposed to cyber-crime.” commented Angela.

Angela’s recommendations to those keen to improve their cyber smarts:

• Use FMG’s learning module to upskill you and those around you on the various methods hackers use and how to protect yourself online.
• Have strong password practices and adopt two-factor authentication on main accounts. These online security practices can help to minimise the amount of money New Zealanders lose to scammers each year.
• Have an incident response plan. Know who to call at your bank or your internet service provider and what steps you might take in the event your details are compromised.

For more information or to give the new cyber module a go or for more advice on how to stay safe online, visit https://www.fmg.co.nz/advice/cyber-security.

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