DID YOU KNOW THAT... Javelin Strategy and Research projects a 78% increase in the U.S. shopper volume by 2014. 43% of owners of Webenabled smartphones use these to help them shop (e.g., check prices, read product reviews, and look for promos). Asia/Pacific online shop owners earned US$156.9 billion in 2010. 89.3% of U.K. users shopped online as of October 2010. France users came in second place with an 84.3% reach, followed by German users at 81.7%.
WHY SHOP ONLINE? The Internet, regardless of device (e.g., computer, smartphone, or tablet), allows anyone, anywhere to buy, pay, and simply wait for goods bought online to be delivered straight to their doorsteps. It used to take weeks or even months to buy hard-to-find goods overseas in the past. Now, buying anything can be done in mere days. That is the miracle of online shopping. Convenience, ease, and better deals are just three reasons why more and more users shop online.
WHY TARGET ONLINE SHOPPERS? Online shopping is fast becoming the preferred purchasing method compared to physically buying stuff from stores. With a lot of money changing hands in this space, cybercriminals took notice. Online shoppers have become preferred cybercriminal targets. Case in point, a recent mass compromise affected 8.3 million sites that use the open source e-commerce solution oscommerce.
WHAT ARE CYBERCIMINALS AFTER? Credit card credentials Online banking personal identification numbers (PINs) Other personal data related to online shopping To thwart cybercriminals malicious efforts, keep the following safety precautions in mind.
IF THE OFFER S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT MOST PROBABLY IS. When looking for the best deals online, watch out for unbelievable offers. Deals that are too good to be true may just be that. Not all online promos are fraudulent though. Popular online shopping sites do give discounts or freebies for big-ticket and overstocked products. It s just a matter of choosing the right sites to buy from. Search for reviews and public opinions to validate your finds.
(BOOK)MARK THE SPOT. If you want to keep buying stuff from a site, it s a good idea to bookmark it. Tempting as it is to simply rely on search engines to find the right shop, don t. Cybercriminals often count on misspelled links to lead victims to spoofed sites. Cybercriminals also employ blackhat search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to poison search results. They modify the content of malicious sites so these would appear as top results. Clicking links to these puts you at the mercy of phishers and in danger of system infections.
KEEP CYBERCRIMINALS HANDS OFF YOUR COFFERS. It s checkout time! This is where you should really be careful as it involves your hard-earned money. One wrong move can mean your loss. Never opt for a payment method that does not offer any kind of buyer protection. Wire transfers and money orders are therefore off the table. Once sent, you have no way of getting your money back. There s no way to stop a shady vendor from simply taking your money and not sending you the goods you paid for. This is exactly why these methods are preferred by scammers.
Paying via credit card offers you better protection via consumer rights laws. Some services also convert cash into credits that can buy goods online. Just make sure these have good dispute systems in case you need assistance.
DON T SHOP IN A HOT SPOT. Just as you won t buy groceries from a store in a bad neighborhood, you should also avoid shopping online in places with unsecure networks or via public hot spots. Not only can bad guys hijack your shopping session while you re connected to an unsafe network, they can also drop malicious files onto your system. The system you re using in an Internet café may already be malware infected to begin with, too. Limit your online shopping when at home. This assures uninterrupted and safe sessions, assuming you keep your system patches up to date and your network secure, of course.
TAKE A STEP CLOSER TO A SECURE ONLINE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE. Though you may already know everything that s just been said, you may slip sometimes. It happens to the best of us. Cybercriminals are after one thing alone your money. They re just waiting for you to slip and give them access to your cash. To ensure anytime, anywhere online safety, regardless of device, use a security solution that protects you from any and all threats. Keeping safe online shopping practices in mind certainly goes a long way. Using a reliable security solution, however, lets you rest easy when making purchases.
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