Shopping online safely is especially important during sales or promotions, such as Black Friday.
But our cybersecurity expert, Filipa Macieira, from the FCCN – RCTS CERT Cybersecurity Service, details 12 best practices to ensure your transactions are carried out securely.
Topics in this article:
Black Friday and fraud
Black Friday is one of the days of the year when online shopping is most popular. This increase in transactions also leads to an increase in fraud and attempted fraud.
Cybercriminals use fake ads, social media, email blasts, or searches on major search engines to attract consumers' attention by offering huge discounts.
Many consumers are then lured to fake websites, where they can provide personal information and banking details that are later used to their detriment.
Use reliable equipment
If you are going to make purchases online, do so on trusted equipment and try not to use public computers.
It is also important that you avoid sharing your equipment with third parties or leaving it “abandoned” even for a short time.
And of course, keep your usual protections up to date, such as antivirus or other attack detection tools.
When it comes to making safe online purchases, we should be no less careful than when shopping in person.
Avoid public and unencrypted networks
If you're shopping from your computer, mobile phone, or tablet, make sure the wireless network you're using is secure and avoid sharing your data in places with unencrypted public Wi-Fi.
Do not respond to suspicious emails
Likewise, avoid responding to dubious emails (#3) and, when visiting a website, make sure it has a padlock next to the address (#4), being suspicious of those that do not.
Compare offers across multiple sites
Another good practice is to search for the same offer on multiple websites (#5), or on price comparison sites. If you find a price significantly lower than the others, you may be dealing with a fraudulent offer.
In this sense, be wary of overly appealing promotions or offers and research the brand's reputation if you're unfamiliar with it.
Confirm the authenticity of the page
In the case of well-known brands, confirm the authenticity of the page (#7), checking that it has valid and up-to-date contact details (Telephone, address, email, NIF) and look for the company's privacy policy (#8).
Use temporary credit cards
If possible, use temporary credit cards (#9), with a limit appropriate to the purchase you are going to make or with a maximum use limit and do not provide any personal data that does not fit the context of the purchase.
There are already several solutions for creating temporary cards, from the famous national MBWay, to solutions like Revolut where it is also possible to generate virtual cards.
Always confirm the purchase values
When finalizing your order, always confirm the total purchase price (#11). Many companies charge shipping fees without prior notice, which can vary depending on the purchase amount, size, or weight, resulting in the final product costing more than expected.
Keep a record of all steps
Finally, keep a record of all the steps of your purchase (#12), including confirmation emails, printouts of pages visited, or screenshots. Protect yourself.
Secure online shopping
Now that you have a clearer understanding of how to protect your online purchases and ensure they are all made securely, we can only recommend that you follow these tips for any online transaction.
With the expected growth in online sales and the ease with which domains can be registered and professional-looking websites created, it's important to pay attention to every detail.
Whenever you suspect something, stop the operation while there is still time, seek information and, if necessary, report it.
Happy safe online shopping.
