#BlackFriday: Stay safe, shop online and shop smart!

It’s Black Friday, you have decided to skip the queues and rather shop from the comfort of your desk.

At your fingertips, you now have access to thousands of Black Friday deals and all you need to get exactly what you want at a good price is a bank card and an internet connection – simple, but with this ease comes a whole new variety of threats. 

The methods used by cyber-criminals are changing by the day.

Some of the most common methods of defrauding shoppers currently include fake websites, phishing emails with malicious links, particularly with offers that sound too good to be true at this time of year; pop up adverts purporting to be genuine ads; fake items for sale on genuine sites and ‘sniffing’ for passwords and payment details over unsecured Wi-Fi.

It is vital to ensure that the website you are browsing is legitimate and not a knock-off of an actual retailer.

The key here is to check out the website domain name – easily found in your search bar.

For example, website domains like www.bythoseshoes.org should send you running.

Why, you ask? The ‘.org’ part gave it away.

Stick with (if you are buying in South Africa) ‘.co.za’.

Don’t pay by EFT (electronic transfer) – ever.

Any legitimate online shopping platform offers payment options through popular methods such as PayPal and MyGate in which you enter details such as your card number, the expiry date, your name and surname and CVV Number.

Upon completing the details, processing will take place in which your bank should send you an OTP (one-time pin) via SMS or even email.

Check out the rest of the website before buying what you came for.

It may be Black Friday but if it looks way too good to be true, it just might be.

Global cyber-security company Kaspersky advises shoppers to follow these 12 tips:

1. Secure all your devices using trusted security software.

2. Make sure you apply security updates to your operating system and applications as soon as they are available.

3. Only use secure sites. Look for a URL beginning with ‘HTTPS://’ – that’s ‘S’ for SECURE. Look also for a closed padlock on the web browser’s address bar. By clicking or double-clicking on it you will be able to see details of the site’s security.

4. Use a unique password for every online site – use a mixture of letters, numbers and special characters and make sure they are at least 15 characters long.

5. Do not click on random links in e-mails. If a deal seems too good to resist, go directly to the website to find it, rather than click on the link, to be sure.

6. Try to stick to familiar sites that you know or have heard of.

7. If you do buy from a new vendor, research it carefully. A good test is to see if they can be contacted if the order goes wrong – look for an e-mail, a phone number, an address and a returns policy.

8. Use extra caution when using your mobile device for online purchases. Shortened URLs, often used because they are phone-friendly, can hide the fact that they lead to a risky site. If you have to make a transaction then and there, switch Wi-Fi off and use mobile data. Otherwise wait until you are back on a secured connection.

9. Avoid using un-trusted public Wi-Fi hotspots for confidential transactions.

10. Ensure that your children do not have access to your online accounts, and make sure they cannot access your credit card and bank information.