Watching my daughters shopping online, and it’s clear to me that I’ve got different buying behaviours - usually by the time I decide to buy something, I can’t wait for the delivery time and so I choose to buy locally.  I’m not the norm though, as the online shopping market continues to grow.

So how can you all stay safe when you shop online? 

Recent events tell us that you can’t assume any website is safe, however there are a few things you can do to minimise the risks:

1)      Always check for a closed padlock symbol on the website address.  This shows that the site’s security is up-to-date.

2)      Always ensure when entering private card details on a website that the web address starts with Https.  The ‘s’ at the end of the http indicates that the website is secure through encryption. 

3)      It is recommended that you use a credit card rather than a debit card when purchasing online, as this gives you more buyer protection.

4)      If you spot a bargain on an obscure website that seems too good to be true, then it probably is!  Do not be scammed by this.

5)      A lot of websites ask for you to create an account and a password. Do you tend to use the same passwords for all websites?  If you use the same passwords that you use for your banking, email, social media accounts, etc., then you are putting your security information at risk of being breached.  There is no guarantee your passwords will be kept secure, therefore we recommend when online shopping, that you make random passwords for the websites.  You don’t need to remember the random password, if you go back to the site in the future then it’s easy to rest your password, and by doing this you will protect your private/sensitive passwords as much as possible.

Enjoy shopping, and stay safe online!