If you’re no stranger to retail therapy, you’ll probably be aware of the risks of online shopping. Entering credit-card details or personal information on platforms including PayPal could leave you vulnerable to financial fraud including phishing, hacking and identity theft.
In this guide, we’ll look at some ways to protect yourself online. With the impact of credit card, identity and cyber-fraud costing up to £190bn a year, it’s more important than ever to keep your guard up.
How can online shopping leave me exposed?
Even if you assume you’re safe by using payment platforms, there’s always room for hackers and scammers to work their way in. Usernames and passwords stored on keychains can leave us particularly vulnerable with hackers knowing their way around the Cloud.
Identities are stolen once personal information including someone’s name, address and account details are accessed and fraudulently used online or through a bank.
Social hacking is a national security threat, with con artists tricking people over the phone to reveal sensitive data under the guise of an official body. In worst-case scenarios, innocent people have had their houses stolen and sold off by scammers – and have only found out once physically locked out.
How can I protect my identity?
It’s impossible to eradicate the risk of fraud and identity entirely, but we can all take steps to keep ourselves and our data safe online.
- Make sure you buy products from a reputable company. Do your research if you’re unsure but, if a site is safe, you should be able to see the padlock symbol clearly displayed on the left-hand side of the search bar.
- Use a credit card or spare debit card online. It’s imperative to protect your savings account from harm so, if you’re confident with mobile banking, it’s a good idea to have a separate card for online shopping. The start of a new year could be the perfect time to review your options.
- Only provide the details necessary to make the purchase. If a website or company seems to be asking too many questions, you’re within your rights to be hesitant. If you don’t feel sure, ask a friend or relative to check too: always be sceptical.
Staying safe
With cybercrime now a threat to national security, we all must be vigilant. Keep checking sites before you buy, and don’t give personal information to anyone who can’t prove their authenticity.
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