More of us are planning to do Christmas shopping online this
year.
A study out of the United States predicts that one in 10
workers plans to spend about 30 hours shopping online while
they are at work.
Convenience was the reason a third of the workers surveyed
said they shopped online, while a quarter of them cited
boredom.
Mack-line is not predicting a rise in workers in New Zealand
using their work time to buy Christmas presents.
However, given the pressure of many workplaces in the lead-up
to Christmas, it would not be surprising to find people
increasingly using the internet for their shopping.
But can you be safe when you shop? Mack-line asked security
software distributors AVG and Symantec to come up with some
tips to help Signal readers shop safely for Christmas.
AVG New Zealand-Australia marketing manager Lloyd Borrett
said online shopping offered many benefits, including the
ability to shop at any time of the day or night that was
convenient.
"Just as we encourage people to be careful as they're
shopping in a shopping mall or crowded store, everyone should
take appropriate steps to protect themselves while shopping
online.
"Simple steps, like looking for the `secure site' padlock on
your browser page when purchasing, or making sure you're
buying from a reputable company, can prevent potential
headaches down the road."
AVG's top tips are:
• Looking for the "S" for security.
Make sure the websites you are shopping from are secure and
have "https" in the URL when you are at their checkout or
purchase process.
The "S" ensures security.
When you are in the secure section of a website, you will
also see an icon for a locked padlock on your browser, either
on the address bar or on the bottom right corner.
• Stay current on security software.
This means making sure you have the latest virus protection
software updates from your security provider.
It's important because the bad guys move around frequently.
• Think before you link.
Employ a URL scanning tool to ensure you will be warned if
you click on links that lead to infected web pages.
The time to find out whether a page is bad is before you load
it into your web browser.
• Keep your private information private.
When shopping online, create a separate email account that is
just for shopping.
Use a unique password, different from any other accounts you
have.
Your dedicated shopping email account should be in no way
affiliated with your personal, everyday email account.
Symantec's top tips are:
• Shop where others shop.
There are so many places to buy products online, how can you
find the best ones? In the real world, you might ask a friend
for a recommendation.
In the online world, shopper recommendations fulfil the same
function.
If you have favourite places to shop in the physical world,
shopping there online may make sense as well.
• Check the details.
Check an online shop's privacy policy before you buy.
Make sure they are not selling your personal information to
others.
Check the return policies.
Will the shop take unsatisfactory purchases back? If a
purchase involves an online transaction service, such as
Paypal, make sure you understand how that service will
protect you if things go wrong.
• Gift cards.
These are increasingly popular gifts to send and receive and
can be a big help with last minute shopping.
Make sure you review the policies for each card.
Some companies have monthly fees or expiration dates on their
gift cards which can make them almost useless unless they are
used right away.
• Be careful what you share.
Be wary of sharing personal details such as your account
numbers, date of birth, addresses, likes and dislikes and
other personal information.
Before you disclose anything, ask yourself why do they need
to know or do they need to know this?
• Manage your passwords.
Do not use obvious ones; mix characters, numbers and symbols
like & * %; change them regularly; do not use the same
passwords for multiple accounts.
• Review financial statements on a regular basis.
Check for any suspicious activity no matter how small.
It is a warning sign that a criminal may have stolen your
data.
Mr Borrett said despite more people than ever carrying out
their Christmas shopping online this year, there was no
reason to sacrifice security in the hunt for a great bargain.
Following the simple tips in Mack-line should help minimise
the chances of readers becoming a victim of online fraud or
cyber criminals.
