With Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the Christmas shopping period fast approaching, the British Retail Consortium is calling on shoppers to take simple steps to protect themselves over the festive season. With up to a third of all retail sales being made online in the run up to Christmas, cyber criminals often take advantage of the uptick in online shopping with scams and fraudulent activity. With this in mind, the British Retail Consortium and its members are sharing five tips on how to stay safe when online shopping.
1. Shop on secure and trusted websites: If a deal looks too good to be true, it usually is. Always navigate directly to a reputable retailer’s website rather than clicking on links in unfamiliar emails or social media posts, and double-check the URL before entering any personal details.
2. Enable strong authentication: Use strong passwords, ensuring they are unique for each account, and enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible. Fraudsters' biggest advantage is password reuse: one breach is all it takes for them to gain access to multiple websites and accounts. This is especially important if your payment details are saved on a website.
3. Use secure payment: Some payment services, such as credit cards, offer additional protections to users when paying online. Check what protections your preferred payment method provides.
4. Keep an eye on your purchases: With so many payments made over the Christmas period, keep track of your bank statements to ensure you are only paying for the goods and services you have purchased.
5. Avoid public WiFi: Never enter payment details on public or unsecured WiFi. Only use mobile data or a trusted home/work network.
For more detailed advice on staying safe online, visit the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) or Stop! Think Fraud websites.
Graham Wynn, Assistant Director of Regulatory Affairs the BRC, said:
“It is vital that everyone takes steps to ensure they are shopping safely online this Black Friday and beyond. Cyber criminals will be looking to exploit consumers through sophisticated scams, and consumers must be extra vigilant. Don’t let a Christmas deal turn into a Christmas disaster.”
Jonathan Ellison, Director for National Resilience at the NCSC, said:
"For Black Friday and the festive shopping period, it is important for shoppers to remember that cyber criminals seek to exploit this surge in spending, using trust in established brands and the seasonal popularity of products to lure people into clicking malicious links or sharing personal and financial information.
“We strongly recommend shoppers turning on two-step verification for their most important accounts and exercise caution while making purchases- if any online interaction feels suspicious the best action is to stop.”
