Christmas is a time for joy, happiness and lots and lots of online shopping.
Sadly it’s also the time of year when online scammers step up their efforts to trick you into parting with you with your hard earned money.
Follow the simple steps below to avoid falling victim to cyber criminals during the festive period…
Make sure you choose where you shop wisely:
Fake websites are becoming a more and more popular method of fooling online shoppers. Before spending your hard-earned cash make sure you’re shopping on sites and mobile apps you know/trust.
Double check the address and if it’s a website you’re entering your card details into look out for the ‘https://’, this, along with the green padlock means it’s a secure website.
Beware of promotional links in emails:
Watch out for promotional links in emails, we all know that fraudsters are always looking to entice you into clicking links in phishing emails and the holiday period is no exception…
See a link from an online store that looks just a bit too good to be true? Most companies will have any promotions they’re offering online so head directly to their website and access it that way.
Don’t fall for suspect mobile apps:
Often overlooked, mobile apps are an unexpected but highly used platform for criminals to access your information. Look out for seasonal apps like Christmas countdowns and promotional offers, especially if they look too good to be true…
When installing apps, check what it requires access to and think to yourself “does this app really need this information from me?”
Look out for fake delivery notifications:
At this time of year, you’re probably ordering a lot of things online… this is great news for your friends and family, but it’s also a fantastic opportunity for cyber criminals looking to exploit.
Always be dubious of links you receive in texts or emails giving you tracking updates, head directly to the courier website who you know is delivering your parcels and use tracking information from your original order confirmation emails to stay safe.
BE VIGILANT AND STAY SAFE!