US PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump has said “no computer is safe” when it comes to keeping information private, expressing new scepticism about the security of online communications.

Mr Trump, who rarely uses email or computers despite his frequent tweeting, told reporters during his annual New Year’s Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida: “You know, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way.

“Because I’ll tell you what: no computer is safe. I don’t care what they say.”

Mr Trump has repeatedly cast aside allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russia tried to influence the presidential election through hacking.

Earlier this week Barack Obama ordered sanctions on Russian spy agencies, closed two Russian compounds and expelled 35 diplomats the US accused of being spies.

The Russian Government has denied the allegations.

Mr Trump, who has said that he plans to meet intelligence officials next to week to learn more about the allegations, wants them “to be sure because it’s a pretty serious charge”.

He pointed to intelligence failures over the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the US invasion and declared himself an expert in the area.

“I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else,” he said.

He added, cryptically, that he also knows “things that other people don’t know. And so they cannot be sure of the situation”.

During the Trump party, hundreds of guests gathered in the Mar-a-Lago grand ballroom, including action star Sylvester Stallone and romance novel model Fabio. Reporters were invited to watch as guests arrived.

Earlier, Mr Trump gave his press pool the slip, travelling to play golf at one of his clubs without journalists on hand to ensure the public had knowledge of his whereabouts.

A member of his golf club in Jupiter, Florida, posted a photograph on Twitter of Mr Trump on the greens on Saturday morning and said about 25 US Secret Service agents accompanied the President-elect. Reporters had not been advised of the visit.

Transition aide Stephanie Grisham confirmed Mr Trump had made a “last-minute trip” to Trump National Golf Club Jupiter, about a half-hour drive from Mar-a-Lago. He returned to the estate at mid-afternoon.

Ms Grisham said that she and other aides were not aware of the trip and “appreciate everyone’s understanding”. “We are in the home stretch of this transition period and don’t anticipate any additional situations like this between now and inauguration,” she said.

Mr Trump, both as a candidate and during the transition, has often scoffed at tradition, such as allowing a group of reporters to follow him at all times to ensure the public knows where he is.

Not long after his election he went out to dinner with his family in Manhattan without informing the pool of his whereabouts.

The practice is meant to ensure that journalists are on hand to witness, on behalf of the public, the activities of the president or president-elect, rather than relying on second-hand accounts.