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| Christmas shopping on the high street |
Millions of shoppers are expected to buy presents online today, December 2, which is has been named "Cyber Monday".
Internet shopping figures frequently peak on the first Monday in December,
thought to be a combination of the last payday before Christmas falling on
the previous Friday and a weekend spent browsing the shops before buying
from home.
Visa Europe predicts £450 million will be spent on its cards alone as online
transactions top 7.7m, an increase of 16pc on last year, potentially making
this the busiest online shopping day in history.
But it's important to know how to protect yourself from online fraud or being
directed to a fake website or counterfeit goods to avoid nasty surprises at
Christmas.
According to research from Barclays and Kaspersky Lab, more than four million
people have fallen victim to online fraud in the UK since last December,
with an average loss of £371.
Alex Grant, Managing Director, Fraud Prevention at Barclays, said: “As the number of people shopping online is set to peak this Monday – with 33.6 million of us planning to do our shopping on the web this Christmas – cyber-criminals will have a field day if precautions aren’t taken.
"Our research has shown that internet shoppers will be faced with a high level of threat to their personal and financial information as they hit the online stores this Christmas.
• Get up to date security software: make sure your computer and your smartphone are protected with up-to-date anti-virus protection and your firewall is turned on.
• Look for the ‘S’: only ever access your internet banking or shopping sites by typing the address into your browser - never go to a website from a link in an email and then enter personal details. Always ensure when transacting online that the URL starts HTTPS rather than HTTP, or has the gold padlock icon, and use only official apps for mobile banking.
• Treat all unsolicited emails with caution: don’t click on links or open attachments in emails you weren’t expecting or are not sure about.
• Use strong passwords: passwords should have a mix of letters (upper and lower case) numbers and symbols – avoid obvious things like your name, birthday or phone number that others can guess.
• Only download trusted retailers' apps and check the comments to make sure they are genuine.
• Be cautious with online auctions: for higher value items, such as cars and other vehicles, try to see the items before sending any money and always use the insured methods of payment for the internet site rather than direct payments to a seller. • Log out after shopping and save the confirmation email as a record of your purchase, and make sure you have registered your cards with Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode.
Alex Grant, Managing Director, Fraud Prevention at Barclays, said: “As the number of people shopping online is set to peak this Monday – with 33.6 million of us planning to do our shopping on the web this Christmas – cyber-criminals will have a field day if precautions aren’t taken.
"Our research has shown that internet shoppers will be faced with a high level of threat to their personal and financial information as they hit the online stores this Christmas.
Top tips on how to protect yourself while shopping online:
• Keep contact details up to date: ensure your bank has up-to-date mobile/telephone contact numbers for you so they can speak to you if they spot unusual or suspicious activity on your account.• Get up to date security software: make sure your computer and your smartphone are protected with up-to-date anti-virus protection and your firewall is turned on.
• Look for the ‘S’: only ever access your internet banking or shopping sites by typing the address into your browser - never go to a website from a link in an email and then enter personal details. Always ensure when transacting online that the URL starts HTTPS rather than HTTP, or has the gold padlock icon, and use only official apps for mobile banking.
• Treat all unsolicited emails with caution: don’t click on links or open attachments in emails you weren’t expecting or are not sure about.
• Use strong passwords: passwords should have a mix of letters (upper and lower case) numbers and symbols – avoid obvious things like your name, birthday or phone number that others can guess.
• Only download trusted retailers' apps and check the comments to make sure they are genuine.
• Be cautious with online auctions: for higher value items, such as cars and other vehicles, try to see the items before sending any money and always use the insured methods of payment for the internet site rather than direct payments to a seller. • Log out after shopping and save the confirmation email as a record of your purchase, and make sure you have registered your cards with Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode.
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