‘Tis the time for cyber crime
Deloitte warns against rising fraud as online Christmas shopping peaks
ONLINE shoppers need to be cautious when shaking out their piggy banks on the Internet.
According to Deloitte research, while many consumers still prefer the in-store shopping experience over Internet purchases, almost three-quarters of shoppers still intend to do some form on online research prior to buying the items at stores.
But Deloitte emphasized even this ‘window shopping’ can do damage.
‘Millions of South Africans will log on to do their shopping this festive season, and gangs of cyber criminals are lying in wait to spoil the party by infiltrating networks and stealing money and identities,’ said Deloitte Senior Manager Evert Smith.
‘People are often totally oblivious that they have been scammed owing to the sophistication of some of the tactics used.
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‘In many cases it is often just a matter of a user not having updated their security software, or that they use outdated software that has security flaws which have since been improved in an updated version.’
Smith said people need to take preemptive steps to reduce risks.
‘It may sound elementary, but you should only buy from reputable online stores.
‘Do some research on freely available sites like Hellopeter and Mybroadband and make sure what the site offers can actually be delivered.
‘You know the saying, if it is too good to be true, it is.’
He also advised consumers take the time to read the terms and conditions about returns and refunds carefully.
‘Make sure you have some recourse and before you commit to pay or render personal details, make sure the page on which you are filling in the details is secure, for instance that ‘https://’ is enabled.’
Clean cards
Smith said a ‘burner card’ or virtual credit card should be used.
‘There are several traveller type cards that can be loaded with funds and only used for online purchases.
‘If the card details are stolen or hacked, the only losses incurred are on that card and not your whole bank account.
‘Another practical tip is to not shop from an unknown computer or mobile device.
‘You never know who might be grabbing your user and account details without you knowing it.’
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