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Five Ways to Stay Secure When Online Shopping

Have some downtime during the work day and thinking of doing some online shopping? Follow these steps to keep your personal and work accounts safe.

November 24, 2020 Zachary Comeau Leave a Comment

Online Shopping Security

Cybersecurity experts are warning holiday shoppers to be extra vigilant this year, as more people than usual are expected to opt for online shopping rather than braving crowded malls and stores due to COVID-19.

What exacerbates this even further is the blending of our work and home lives due to working from home. People are using their home networks for both work and personal use, and an attacker could feasibly compromise both work and personal accounts in one fell swoop.

Sourced from the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre and other cybersecurity experts, here are some reminders for your employees to help them keep both work and personal lives safe this holiday season:

Research the online retailer

If you’re unfamiliar with the particular company or online marketplace, consider doing some research to verify that you’re spending with a legitimate business.

That is especially true if you receive offers via email. Verify the email domain is associated with a legitimate website and don’t click links unless you’re certain it’s not a phishing attempt.

If the padlock symbol doesn’t appear in the address bar indicating a secure connection, don’t give that website any information.

Practice good password security

If you use the same password for every account, consider switching it up and using strong passwords you don’t use anywhere else. That’s especially true for important accounts like banking, email, online shopping and others where your personal financial information could be accessed.

Two-factor authentication can also help protect your accounts by asking for another piece of information to verify that it’s actually you trying to access the account.

Read Next: Insurance Chief: Cybersecurity Now the #1 Business Risk

Use a credit card

Using a credit card to shop online is safer than a debit card, which is probably your main bank account.

Further, if a debit card is compromised, that means your hard-earned money is stolen. If a credit card is compromised, that money belongs to the financial institution that issued the card, and you don’t really lose any money.

It can take several days for your bank to clear up the fraudulent activity on your debit card, affecting your wallet immediately.

That amazing deal is probably too good to be true

If you’re browsing social media or come across an email with an amazing offer, make sure it’s legitimate before you click on it.

Scammers and cybercriminals use email and social media to lure gullible consumers into giving up their personal information to unlock some amazing deal, which is usually a scam. Compare prices before you buy.

Don’t shop on public WiFi

Public WiFi can be a goldmine for hackers and scammers, so it’s best to not send personal information — especially financial information — over public WiFi. Bookmark the website and wait until you’re on a secure connection to make the purchase.

Tagged With: Cybersecurity, Online shopping

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