During the 2013-2014 holiday season, the percentage of purchases made online is expected to increase even more. This means that even more sophisticated criminals will try to make their purchases at the expense of consumers, either by using their credit card and bank account, or by stealing and selling their personal information. In this context, ESET provides 12 tips on how consumers can avoid fraud in their attempt to make the most profitable online Christmas shopping.
1. Check your device before you start shopping: Before every trip, we check our car. The same should be done with our Laptop or PC. Update and repair the browser, examine the plug-ins of the applications, check the operating system and the security suite, to ensure a safe online trip.
2. Be careful with shopping sites you don't recognize: Prefer to browse well-known sites, which are known for doing exactly what they advertise and have accurate descriptions of the goods. Read reviews from visitors and those who have already made purchases, to see if the products are delivered on time and in good condition.
3. Be careful what password you use: The more sites you visit, the greater the temptation to use one, common password for everything, so that you don't forget it. Try to use different passwords and under no circumstances use the password you have for your personal email or bank account.
4. Be wary of “unbelievable” prices and offers: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Avoid links that advertise extremely low prices for products, services, or gift cards, especially when they are valid for a very short period of time. Keep in mind that even SMS messages should be treated with caution, and, in any case, search the offer online to cross-check what other users are saying.
5. Make sure the transaction is secure and prefer to make your purchases from a PC rather than a phone: When you have reached the ordering process on a website, confirm that the SSL protocol is used. You should be able to see https or shttp in front of the web address instead of http. This process is easier to do on a PC, while you can also search on Google using words like “fraud”, “virus”, “scam” or “fraud” with the name of the site.
6. Beware of offers that “expire tomorrow”: Offers with a very short expiration date can appear in your emails, but also on social media, as happened with Pinterest. Particular attention should be paid if there is syntax or spelling errors, but even if you want to check, type the website name directly into the address bar of a browser to see if it will actually take you there.
7. Check the security of hotspots: If you are using WiFi, at home or at a hotspot, look for the key or lock symbol in the relevant dialog box. Try not to make purchases via public hotspots, and instead prefer the security of 3G or 4G offered by your phone.
8. Keep your kids safe when playing games: Most gadgets have built-in parental controls to protect them from content that is only suitable for adults. Apple's iPhone, iPod, and iPad have settings to protect young users from purchasing additional features and applications while playing games. Amazon, Windows 8, and the Xbox and Nintendo DS consoles also have parental control policies. Unfortunately, most parents don't even know they exist.
9. Which card to use: Prefer a credit card over a debit card for your purchases. Even if you get scammed, there is a better chance of getting your money back.
10. Too much information? Something's probably wrong: Malware can appear in the form of questions while filling out a form. If a shopping website asks for a lot of information about your purchase, such as your social security number for a simple flower order, abandon the transaction and run a malware scan.
11. Don't expect money for taking a survey: Except for customer satisfaction surveys on legitimate websites, when a pop-up window appears promising cash or gifts simply by answering a question like "Coke or Pepsi?" close it and don't hand over your phone unless you want to pay for services you never requested. These windows appear very often on social media, so use the free ESET Social Media Scanner app to check if it's a scam.
12. Stay vigilant after the holidays: After the holidays, check your credit card statement. If you have been a victim of fraud, the statement will be the first sign to recognize it and even prevent your money from being recovered.
Source: portal.kathimerini.gr
