At this time of year more and more people are going online to buy last minute presents for their loved ones. Here is a list of helpful steps you can take to make sure you don’t fall victim to cybercrime while doing your online shopping:

1: Choose where you shop

Make sure you trust the retailer you are buying from.

2: Keep your devices up to date

Make sure all of your devices have the latest software installed. This makes it harder for cyber criminals to hack you. Tip; turn on automatic software updates and  you’ll be notified each time there is an update.

3: Use a strong password

Ideally your password should not be an actual word but a random combination of numbers, letters, and symbols or a PassPhrase (see below). Make it at around 8-12 characters long. The longer a password is, the better – but be sensible! Click here for more tips on creating a string password.

4: Don’t click on suspicious links in emails and texts

Some of the emails or texts you receive about amazing offers may contain links to fake websites, designed to steal your money and personal details. Be careful!

5: Turn on multi-factor authentication

IT service providers are increasingly offering something called Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), also known as 2-Factor Authentication (2FA). Basically, it means that you will need to take (normally) two separate actions in order to access your accounts. This sounds complicated and time-consuming, but it need not be, and it does add a very significant level of security. An example of how it works is that you enter your normal password to access e.g., your online banking and the system then sends you a second unique, one-time password to e.g. your smartphone that you are then prompted to enter into the web portal. 

6: Don't give away too much information

Only fill in the mandatory details of forms when making a purchase. These are usually marked with an asterisk*. If you can avoid it, don’t create an account on a new site unless you’re going to use that site a lot in the future. You can usually checkout as a guest to make your purchase.