Like every year for some time now, #CyberMonday is just around the corner. This ‘online sales’ date, which dates back to the turn of the century, has quickly established itself (just like the recent #BlackFriday) as one of the most awaited days by bargain hunters looking to benefit from some of the prices and discounts that many brands and commercial establishments offer on that day. The large volume of transactions that take place and, on occasion, the rush to avoid missing out on a particularly attractive opportunity also make this day, conversely, one of the days of the year that people fall for fraudulent websites, set up with the aim of taking advantage of how we might fail to take precautions.
For this reason, and as we usually do on days like these, we consider it to be particularly useful to remember some basic cybersecurity tips that will help us to make our purchases as safe as possible.
- Do not let the rush make you let your guard down. On this day, you may find ‘Flash Sales’ on more than one website that are only available for a short period of time. It could be a marketing strategy on a genuine website… or it could be a fraudulent site creating a sense of urgency to try to make you forget about basic precautions when making a purchase. Do not let this happen.
- Beware of offers sent by email, WhatsApp or other channels if we have not requested them. In the worst-case scenario, if it is a fraudulent offer, they could even infect your device with a virus or malware. If you receive an offer like this, before clicking on any link, it is always advisable to go to the seller’s official website to check if the offer is real.
- Before paying, make sure the website is secure. This is fundamental, but it is worth remembering every once in a while. It is of utmost importance that ‘the padlock on the browser is closed’ and for the internet address to start with https (with an ‘s’ at the end).
- If possible, never make purchases when connected to a public Wi-Fi network. Avoid online shopping at airports, restaurants and every other public place. Make sure you always make purchases from your home network or from places where you have the utmost trust in the person or institution providing the Wi-Fi connection you are connected to.
- Always keep your devices up to date with the latest operating system, and install some form of antivirus protection on them if possible.
- It is better to have different passwords if you use different e-commerce portals. That way, if your password is compromised on one of them due to a cyber-attack, it won’t affect other online retail sites.
- And finally, when in doubt… be very cautious. It is better to wait until connecting from a network that we know to be reliable or to invest a little time in doing a ‘double check’ before making the payment, rather than being faced with a problem later which could be difficult to solve.
Remember that our customer service team is at your disposal to help you 24/7/365 on 963 085 000, at info@bancsabadell.com or on our social networks (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram).
