These days, it’s all about buying stuff online. To be honest, it can be a lifesaver: you can find some great online discounts, avoid the mad Christmas shopper rush – BUT it’s important to be aware of the potential dangers on the web. To help you out, we’ve put together our top five points to online safety as you shop for the festive season:
- It doesn’t matter if it makes life easy, DON’T keep the same password for everything! Once an individual figures out one of your passwords, they have access to everything else which puts your data at serious risk.
- Get antivirus software installed onto your PC and be sure to keep it updated.
- Keep an eye open for Spam emails. There may be the odd email that comes into your inbox asking for personal information or asking you to click on a link – be wary of these emails. If it looks suspicious, contact the company directly and ask if they’ve sent the email. If they didn’t, it’s spam.
- Make sure you’re on a safe site. When you get to the part that asks you for sensitive information, check the URL. If the URL says HTTP and not HTTPS, then chances are it’s not a safe website so don’t risk entering your details.
- When paying for something, use your credit card or a service like PayPal as they offer greater protection.