Safer Online Shopping

[Phillip Coetser]

Hi all,
The growth in the popularity of online shopping websites has brought an increase in the activities of cybercriminals that are targeting unwary consumers. So here is a few Internet Security tips for safer online shopping without falling prey to criminals and Internet scams. If you do online shopping, you’ll need to take a few precautions.By using an internet security protection application, such as Kaspersky, Norton etc.it will greatly reduce the risk of cyber attacks.

* Search the Internet safely:
Even though search engines are very useful when you’re looking for products, reviews or price comparisons, you run the risk of unintentionally clicking on ‘poisoned’ search results that could lead you to malware instead of your intended destination. These poisoned search results are created by cybercriminals that use search engine optimization (SEO) tricks — sometimes referred to as Black SEO — to manipulate search engine results to include malicious links.

* Type the URL into the address bar
Instead of just clicking a link to take you to your chosen retailer’s website, it’s safer to type the retailer’s URL into the address bar on your web browser. It may take a little more effort, but this simple action can help to prevent you visiting a fake or malicious website.

*Get a temporary credit card
Some credit card companies will issue a temporary credit card number for their customers. These temporary numbers can be useful for one-time purchases. However, you should avoid using them for any purchases that require auto-renewal or regular payments.

*Beware of using public Wi-Fi
There can be security risks if you access the Internet via a public Wi-Fi network. Cybercriminals can intercept your data and capture your passwords, login details and financial information. If you need to access the Internet when you’re out shopping, it’s safer to do so via your mobile phone network.

What is Cybercrime - Definition
Cybercriminals create computer viruses and Trojan programs that can:
Steal access codes to bank accounts
Advertise products or services on a victim’s computer
Illegally use an infected computer’s resources – to develop and run: Spam campaigns
Distributed Network Attacks (also called DDoS attacks)
Blackmailing operations.

Regards