Black Friday originated in the USA but since around 2010 it gradually built-up momentum in the UK too. This year, Black Friday falls on Friday 26 November but many retailers have already started offering some great deals. So, is it really Black Friday or should we call it Black November instead?
One thing is sure, November became pre-Christmas online sales season. Online shopping has its great benefits: it’s fast and easy, regardless of if you shop from home, local café or train.
Online shopping is convenient, make sure it is safe too. When shopping online your intentions are obvious, but know that there are bad guys too, just waiting to take advantage of your online activity.
I’ve prepared some basic guidelines you can apply to shop with confidence.
1. USE UP-TO-DATE ANTI-VIRUS AND ANTI-MALWARE SOFTWARE FROM A TRUSTED SUPPLIER and run periodic scans – without protection you are vulnerable to online threat.
Today, the selection of available antivirus software is impressive.
When it comes to your security and security of your data your antivirus software choice should definitely be made from among the best available.
But what are the best ones? There is no right or wrong answer to this!
Every business is different and it is important to keep in mind the specific needs of your business, the scale and type of protection needed, the budget and so on.
Remember that although antivirus is one of the most positive steps in business security it does not guarantee total, 100% protection.
2. USE STRONG PASSWORDS
You don’t like super long and complicated passwords? Oh well, you need one these days. Make sure all your accounts, whether it is your email account or bank account, is locked down securely with an impossible to solve password. Aim for fifteen or more characters.
Don’t use the same password for each online account.
3. USE FAMILIAR WEBSITES and beware of misspellings or sites using a different top-level domain (.net instead of .com, for example).
4. LOOK FOR THE LOCK
Never buy anything online using your credit card from a site that doesn’t have an SSL certificate (secure sockets layer).
If a site is secure and encrypted, you will get a little padlock icon in your browser address window. If you cannot see a padlock, look for https:// in the website address. This is a notification that you are sending information directly to your merchant and there are no “man-in-the-middle deceptions”.
5. WAIT FOR YOUR ADDRESS BAR TO GO GREEN
That’s an indication the website is safe and that you are on the website you are intended to be on and not a fake malicious one. So basically, if you are going to enter a password or any information like an address or credit card number, you want to make sure the website is using HTTPS – see point 4.
6. LOOK OUT FOR THE TRUST SEALS – they are usually on the bottom of your merchant home page or on the payment page.
7. USE SECURE VIRTUAL PAYMENTS SYSTEMS
Whether it is PayPal or another online payments system, you can sometimes avoid using your main credit card entirely. PayPal offer the ability to get a debit card that you can use to shop online.
Remember to double-check the payment information to make sure that you are paying the correct amount.
8. CHECK STATEMENTS REGULARLY
Don’t wait for your bill to come at the end of the month. Go online regularly and look at electronic statements for your credit card and debit card, and check your accounts. Look for any fraudulent charges, even originating from payment sites like PayPal.
9. PRIVATISE YOUR NETWORK
Aim to shop from your private network, however if you’re shopping via a public hotspot such as Starbucks or Costa use a virtual private network (VPN) to be safe.
VPN is your own verifiable, secure, private connection across the internet.
10. FAKE ADS AND COUPONS
Lookout for fake online ads and coupons in general. The simple rule is: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.”
11. CLOSING POP-UPS AND POP-UNDERS
A lot of advertising you are seeing online is legitimate, but not always. If you need to close a window, be careful because some people like to add fake “X” close buttons.
Remember these keyboard commands to make sure you close a window – Control + F4 for Windows and Command + W for Macs.
For more hints and tips on Technology Without Tears speak to our trusted team members on 01522 797520
Kamila
