If you're buying any or all of your Christmas gifts online this year, there's never been a better time to get obsessed with cyber-security. There's plenty of offers out there, but there's also plenty of unscrupulous individuals hoping to take advantage of online shoppers. If you don't want to get fleeced this year, make sure you check our online shopping tips before you checkout.
Exclusive email offers
Unfortunately, 'tis the season of the phishing email. With so many people looking to save money, criminals send out realistic looking emails with 'exclusive offers'. Usually these will have a time limit to encourage you to pop your details in before you start questioning its validity.
Although some businesses do email subscribers with exclusive deals, they will never ask you for credit card information from within the email. To identify whether an email is a phishing scam or not, use our how-to guide. If you're still not sure, send us a screenshot!
Using public WiFi
We get it, it's tempting to open up Amazon when you're sitting in a coffee shop and it's not using up your mobile data. But buying things over public WiFi is a risky way to make a purchase. It's incredibly easy to create 'evil twins' of WiFi networks - and if you fall for it, anything you do online can be watched and even controlled by the creator.
Even on encrypted websites (those with https in the corner of the address bar) can be vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks on public WiFi. By intercepting the messages sent between your device and the WiFi, criminals can see everything that you're sending to a website - including all your card information.
Research, research, research
The adverts on your Facebook feed may look like professional and reputable businesses, but often they can be anything but. If you're tempted to use a site you've never heard of before, or a site that has come up in the Facebook adverts bar, do your research first.
A quick Google for the business or website will probably tell you all you need to know. Check out how recent customers rated their experience, particularly if they had to return a purchase. Also download Web of Trust to check the authenticity of sites before you click.
Is the website secure?
If you're making a purchase online, check that you're using a secure site. Just look for the green padlock in the address bar of the browser - that means any information you send over that site is private. If there's no padlock and no 'https', the information you send to that website is not secure.
You should never send card information (or any personal or sensitive data) over a connection that is not secure. This is essentially like yelling your credit card information in a crowded room - if anyone's listening, they'll have it. No matter how good the offer on that website is, don't do it!
Having second thoughts about a purchase? Tweet us @TranscenditUK
