Despite known dangers in online shopping, especially to snag a bargain that is “too good to be true” Australians are still behaving badly online.
The Norton Online Shopping Survey reveals that nearly 25% of Australians find online shopping stressful because of security worries yet 33% still do not check a website’s security before shopping online and only 25% of those who bother are confident they know what [a scam or fake site] looks like.
Mr Norton, a.k.a. Mark Gorrie, Director, Norton [Symantec], Pacific region, said, “Australia’s love affair with online shopping has seen one 33% of Aussies spend more than two hours per week shopping online. However, with the number of consumers affected by online crime continuing to rise, scammers are constantly refining their skills and targeting Australians with malicious links and scams containing ‘too good to be true’ deals to steal their credit cards details and personal information.”
“While the Norton Online Shopping Survey shows that Australians are concerned about security when they shop online, some Australians are still choosing not to act on these concerns and putting themselves at risk of identity theft and credit card fraud,” he added.
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Gorrie has provided a few tips for safe online shopping.
Online Shopping Security Concerns
- 61% of Aussies worry most about having their credit card details stolen, while 48% admitted they were fearful of purchasing goods from an untrustworthy or illegitimate site.
- 35% of Aussies were concerned about falling victim to a data breach from an online retailer and having a username and password leaked from an online retailer. Surprisingly, 16% were not concerned by any of these risks at all.
- 16% percent of Australians admitted experiencing credit card fraud as a result of online shopping. But further research 23% since 7% said they have experienced credit card fraud but are not sure whether the fraudsters obtained their card details while they were shopping online or not.
Smartphone security also presents security challenges for Australians shopping online.
- 78% have used their smartphones to browse online shops
- 66% of these have made online purchases.
- 33% of these have entered their credit card details on a mobile app
- 51% are using unprotected smartphones
- 30% use two-factor authentication
- The rest don’t even know what authentication means
Norton Online Shopping Safety Tips
If it is too good to be true, it probably is. Be aware of the cheap price tag as free or discounted goods. If you find the latest hot designer shoes, for a fraction of the price, walk away as they are probably not real.
Cybercriminals are experts at creating websites and making them look identical to your favourite brand sites. Only shop at reputable online sites and avoid getting your credit card scammed.
Beware of fake website links. Do not click on links in an email that appear to come from your favourite online store. Instead, type the store’s address into your browser to avoid going to a malicious website.
Be smart with your passwords. Protect your accounts with strong, unique passwords that use a combination of at least ten upper and lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers to help keep the bad guys at bay. Make it difficult for attackers to access your information by changing your passwords every three months and not reusing passwords for multiple accounts. That way, if a cybercriminal gets your password, they can’t compromise all of your accounts. And if it is too overwhelming to keep up this practice, use a password manager to help.
Beware of phishing scams. Think twice before opening unsolicited messages or attachments, particularly from people you don’t know, or clicking on random links. The message may be from a cybercriminal who has compromised your friend or family member’s email or social media accounts.
Organise your online shopping. Set up an email account specifically to deal with online shopping. Provide as little information as possible to get the account set-up and don’t use it for anything else such as online banking, business correspondence or family matters.
Protect your bank details. Always look out for the ‘padlock’ icon or the Norton Secured Seal when making a payment online. These symbols indicate that the website you are visiting uses encryption to protect you, so cybercriminals cannot capture your personal information. Never let a website ‘remember’ your credit card details, always retype them if you want to shop there again.
Online payments. Even though it is the season of goodwill, avoid using public or shared computers, or even a wireless network to make a payment online. Hackers can easily capture your account information, log-in details and steal your money. Use a separate credit card with a small credit limit for online purchases.
Is your internet security software up-to-date? Update your security software regularly, especially during the festive season. Cybercriminals are more sophisticated than ever before, and they will jump on any social trend to spread malware and steal your personal details.
Check your statements. Always check your credit card statements to look out for unexpected transactions.
Someone forgot to check!!!