Safe Online Shopping Tips for This Festive Season from AVG
Safe Online Shopping Tips for This Festive Season from AVG
Avoid the offers that are too good to be true and only shop at secure, trusted retail sites
The festive season is underway! Many of us will be buying gifts for our friends and loved ones, and many of us will being doing it online — it’s convenient, there’s less hassle and there are some great deals to be found.
But AVG® Technologies reminds us that scammers too are especially busy during the holiday season as they target unsuspecting online shoppers who are eager to snap up Christmas bargains.
Michael McKinnon, AVG’s Security Awareness Director, said: “Scammers don’t take holidays. They take advantage of online shoppers who are in too much of a hurry to carefully consider the pages they are clicking through to, particularly if they are distracted by all the ad-heavy advertising and content on the pages they are surfing.”
He has provided a list of things you can do to enjoy safer online shopping this season.
1. Buy from reputable and trusted stores or
sellers
When shopping online, try and purchase
from trusted or well-established online stores or
marketplaces, and ensure that sellers or merchants have a
good reputation and track record.
Some scammers take the time to set up highly elaborate and genuine-looking websites, so don’t be fooled by their good looks. If in doubt, do your research — read reliable online reviews, ask around in website forums and perhaps take the extra precaution of checking a seller’s business credentials.
Many e-commerce sites give you the option of using a third party payment method. This can be useful if they offer features like Paypal’s buyer protection. It means that if something does go wrong you can recover some of your money.
2. Avoid the
‘too good to be true’ offer
If you see deals
or offers that are too good to be true, then they probably
are. Shoppers are often tempted into taking up unbelievable
offers, and in doing so purchase a product that never
arrives or they inadvertently divulge their private and
financial details to scammers.
Before you start your online Christmas shopping, take a look at Scamwatch or ACORN, the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network. These sites have information on the latest scams and more helpful information on what to watch for while online. And, by reporting any experience you’ve had of cybercrime fraud, you can add to their valuable resources.
3. Pay securely
When
purchasing online always make sure you’re using a secure
payment method at the checkout. This will ensure that the
information being sent in the transaction is encrypted and
can’t be intercepted. You can confirm that an online
store’s checkout is encrypted by checking that there is a
little lock icon visible in the address bar, followed by
‘https’ and not ‘http’. The ‘s’ is for
security.
4. Avoid upfront payments or
fees
You might receive an unsolicited email
saying that you’ve received a prize in a competition or a
parcel that needs to be delivered, but to receive it you
first need to pay an administrative fee or extra postage. Be
very wary! Don’t give out any details or pay any fees
upfront to claim a ‘free’ item from someone via an
unsolicited email, message or phone call.
5.
Watch out for phishing emails
Phishing emails
often look legitimate and are from businesses that you would
normally use — it could look as though it’s from a bank,
online store or even a government agency.
The fake
email might provide plausible reasons for you to click a
link to visit a website and update your details, for
example: a problem with your account that needs an update,
or that you need to confirm an existing order with correct
account credentials.
Be very careful. Don’t reply to
the email or click any links, instead go directly to the
business or organisation’s website in your browser and
login into your account to verify everything is in
order.
Also, avoid opening any file attachments from unsolicited or unknown senders. These could put you at risk of accidentally installing malware or trojans.
6. Install an antivirus solution and keep
software up-to-date
Keep all your software and
the operating system on your devices up-to-date to avoid
vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious
software and hackers. And, if you don’t have one already,
consider installing an effective antivirus solution that is
always on and updating the latest protections.
AVG offers award winning antivirus protection — PC users can install AVG AntiVirus Free, and Mac users can download free AVG AntiVirus for Mac. If you have a phone running Android, you can download AVG AntiVirus for Android from the Google Play Store, which is also free.
Happy holidays and stay safe online.
ends