Safe Shopping Online This Weekend

Police are encouraging people to think about their security and safety whilst shopping online this Christmas. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The call is being made ahead of this weekend with what is known as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Black Friday is an American tradition that sees retailers; stores and online, slash their prices on the first Friday after Thanksgiving to help kick-start the Christmas shopping period. The Monday following Thanksgiving is also known as Cyber Monday, as data shows it is the biggest online retail day of the year with online sales of £968 million in the UK in 2015. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Detective Sergeant Pete Jarvis from North Wales Police’ Cyber Crime Team said: “These days more of us are shopping online, as figures show that around £114 billion was spent shopping online during 2015. However, in haste to grab a bargain many fall prey to internet fraudsters. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“When it comes to online crime, an event like Black Friday or Cyber Monday presents an opportunity for criminals to target victims who may have their guards down. “We see a very diverse victim demographic in North Wales, youngsters buying for their parents to grandparents buying presents for grandchildren. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Fraudsters and online criminals are relentless and will stop at nothing, giving absolutely no thought as to whether you and your family are left without presents at Christmas time. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Taking simple steps like double checking to see if the website and product is legitimate before making a payment, and also looking for any customer reviews which often act as a good touch point for safe online shopping. If you feel like something is suspicious, it probably is, so it’s always better to be safe than sorry.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Top tips: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

• Shop with websites that you have used before and trust. Many websites may suddenly appear online which can be fronts for cybercriminals who are only after your personal and financial information. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

• Be wary of phishing emails that promise great deals. They may contain links to sites that mimic a genuine retailer’s website. Check the email address of the sender – if it doesn’t look genuine delete it. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

• Ensure it is a secure website – look out for a small padlock symbol on the right hand side of the address bar – this means any data sent is encrypted, making it harder for cybercriminals to steal your financial information. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

• Always make sure that the device and software that you’re using is kept up to date. Cybercriminals can take advantage of equipment and software that hasn’t been updated, making it easier to steal your personal and financial information. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

• When making a payment always use a secure method such as PayPal, where money is transferred between two electronic accounts. If you don’t have a PayPal account and you’re buying something valued at over £100 always use a credit card. You’ll have more protection of something goes wrong compared to using a debit card. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

• Never buy using public Wi fi – they can be a target for cybercriminals. Never shop online, reveal financial information or access emails or social media accounts when using public Wi fi hotspots. Cybercriminals can hack the connection and intercept your information. Try using your mobile data services such as 3G or 4G ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​