Learn to Protect Yourself
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has been going on for a little over a year, there has been an increase in online shopping. While everything has a good side, there is unfortunately, a flipside as well. Although many shops shifted to the online market and the convenience of online shopping, there is also a surge in fraud cases.
How?
With an easy password, an automated software—e.g. password cracking program or password recovery program, will be able to get your password in seconds, allowing the cyber criminals to have access to such information.
Phishing emails are also a common way of fraud. Victims with “compromised” accounts will be asked to “help investigate” by clicking on a given link, and handling out account details which allows the criminals access to sensitive data.
Many unprotected devices and hardwares are vulnerable to malware such as spyware and banking Trojans. Malware can come in many forms such as infected online ads, software, email attachments, pop-ups, infected links or downloaded files.
Protecting Yourself
You don’t have to stop yourself from shopping online, you just have to beware of cyber crimes and learn to protect yourself!
Detecting and blocking malware can be easily done by using a good antivirus software.
Do keep in mind that a legitimate organization would never request for their customers’ personal data or account information.
Despite there being many attractive offers online, do beware of offers that are too good to be true and only use familiar retailer sites to be safe.
Always create strong passwords for your accounts. It is recommended to have passwords with a length of 8-16 characters, including upper and lower case characters, symbols and numbers.
Consider using a two-factor authentication. It may be a hassle for the extra PIN step but it helps to keep your account details and data secure.
Although it is convenient to save your payment details on your web browser, do avoid doing so as unprotected sites can lead to your payment details being hacked.
Avoid links and ads from social media. You can take note of the site offering the deal and head to the actual website instead. This prevents you from being scammed to shop on a fake website.
Look out for the ‘S’ in HTTPS and a padlock symbol to be sure that the website you’re browsing is secure.
When making payment outside of home, switch over to your data or use a VPN instead of using a public Wi-Fi.
It is important to check your bank transactions and statements regularly to note if there have been any ‘suspicious’ transactions that you don’t recall making. You can also:
Opt for a software that features identity protection. You would be notified whenever your information appears online like the dark web.
Use a VPN to stop hackers from stealing your data.
For any enquiries or feedback, do write in to us at care@compaqs.com or contact us at (+65) 6262 0402.
Sources
Bullguard, How to protect yourself from online shopping scams
