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Protect yourself: Our top password tips for a secure account
Our expert password tips – to help keep you and your accounts safe online.
By Trade Me 26 May 2023
Protect your personal information with a strong, secure password.
Your password is the key to your Trade Me account.
Weak passwords can put you at risk of someone else accessing and using your account, and your personal information being compromised. A strong password will help keep your account and personal details safe and secure.
Check out our expert password tips to keep yourself and your data safe online.
Use a password manager
Password managers can solve a bunch of problems. You won't need to remember your passwords for every website.
How do they work?
You'll have one login for the password manager – that's the only one you'll need to remember. It'll remember your passwords for other sites for you, and enter it when you go to log in.
For more info, check out CERT NZ's guide for password managers.
Long and strong
The longer your password is, the harder it will be for others to guess.
How long? Our system requires at least eight characters. Longer is always better though. Make sure it includes letters, numbers and special characters to make it harder to guess.
Use a different password for every website
Most of us naturally want to use the same password for everything, so we can remember it. The trouble is that if one of your online accounts is compromised, all other accounts using the same password are also at risk.
That's why it's a good idea to use a password manager – so you can have unique passwords for each site without having to remember all of them.
Keep it to yourself
Don't share your passwords with anyone.
Be vigilant when you're being asked for your login details – make sure that the website is legitimate. Check out our tips on spotting phishing scams for more info.
Make it hard to guess
Don't include:
- Things that can be easily guessed, like your pet's name.
- Part of your email address.
- Your name, or part of it.
Phrases made up of random words are a great go-to if you're stuck for password ideas.
Do I need to change my password?
If your current password isn't quite up to scratch, it's a good idea to update it. If you already have a strong, unique password, there's no need to change it.
If you think your Trade Me account has been compromised, update your password right away and get in touch with our Trust & Safety team.
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