Shop safely online this summer
The upcoming holiday season and a break from work means many of us choose to shop online in search of the best deal, gifts, or something for ourselves. Unfortunately, this is also the busiest time of year for cyber-criminals and you can easily fall victim to the folk who make a living at the expense of others. Here are a few thoughts on the dangers of shopping online and ways you can protect yourself and your family & friends.
Don’t rush
Don’t rush when making a purchase. Chances are the special offer will still be there after you’ve given the website a thorough check. The scammers are relying on you to not think and make poor decisions because you are in a hurry and blinded by your enthusiasm to buy something!
Watch out for fake stores and delivery scams
While most online stores are legit, some are fake websites set up by criminals. Fake websites copy the look of, or use the name of, well-known stores. They then use these sites to prey on people looking for the best deal. When you search online for the absolute lowest prices, you may end up on one of these sites.
1. Don’t be tricked into using websites that appear to be exactly the same as a well-known website you’ve used in the past, but the website domain name or the name of the store is slightly different. For example, https://www.amazon.com is legit, but http://www.store-amazon.com almost certainly isn’t.
2. Don't assume a website is trustworthy. Take time to research any website you may purchase from. Search the company name or URL and the word 'scam' to see if others have already reported falling victim.
3. Watch out for emails that look like they’re from couriers or postal services about parcels they couldn’t deliver to you. Rather than clicking on links in the email, type the website directly into your browser and check if there is a parcel for you using their online tracking tool.
Shop securely
1. Don’t shop from a public computer or over public wi-fi. Only connect to wireless networks you manage, such as your home network, or networks you know you can trust when making financial transactions. Public networks are easily hijacked by fraudsters to steal your logins and credit card number.
4. Choose sites that are https (not http). The s stands for secure and means that communications between your browser and the website are encrypted. It's not the be-all and end-all but It should be there.
2. At work, this may be taken care of for you, but at home, always install the latest updates and run up-to-date anti-virus software. It's not going to solve everything, but every little thing does help to make it harder for a cyber-criminal to infect your device.
Parting with your cash
1. Where possible, use a well-known payment service like PayPal, which doesn’t require you to disclose your credit card number to the vendor.
Check the payment system is using an https:// website address so your credit card data is encrypted when going across the internet.
3. Keep an eye on your credit card statements (at least monthly) to identify suspicious charges.
4. If you believe fraud has been committed, call your credit card company right away.
Remember, if something doesn’t feel right, the offer is probably too good to be true!
Visit CERTNZ to report something which you feel may’ve gone bad for you – they’re here to help all New Zealanders live a happy and safe life when online.