Black Friday Cyber Safety Advice

Today is  BlackFriday in the UK, which means masses of people will be taking to the internet to secure great deals online. This unfortunately provides an opportunity for cyberhackers. To stay safe this black Friday, check out these tips below:

1. Use secure online shopping websites. Look for the padlock symbol in the address bar and ensure that the URL begins with ‘HTTPS://’ or ‘SHTTP://’ rather than ‘HTTP://.’ The ‘S’ indicates that the webpage has been encrypted and secured with an SSL certificate.

2. Beware of fake and copycat websites by looking out for misspelled links, pixelated photos or websites that don’t appear to work properly.

3. Pay with Credit Cards if possible as they offer additional protection. With Credit Cards, you can potentially claim money back if fraudulent activity takes place.

4. Monitor you bank accounts for anything unusual.

5. Be cautious of phishing emails and avoid clicking on pop-ups and ads. Chose to shop from the retailer’s website directly instead.

6. Beware of social media scams, such as competitions, or direct messages claiming that you have won a competition with a link to ‘claim’.

7. Use a secure network. Public Wi-Fi can allow cybercriminals access to your devices.

8. Ensure your security software is up to date!

Don’t forget to share this post to make everyone aware of the dangers of shopping online this Black Friday/Cyber Monday.