A version of this blog was first published by NordVPN.
The summer months are filled with sales and shopping; furniture, cars, back-to-school clothes, school supplies etc. Maybe you purchased some second-hand textbooks for your child’s upcoming semester and they never showed up, what now? Visit Fightcybercrime.org for scam recovery resources.
If you are the target of a scam while you online shop this summer, don’t panic. You are not alone. Cybercrime and online fraud can happen to anyone! We’re here to help you report, recover and reinforce your cybersecurity after an incident occurs. Visit our online shopping scam recovery page for help.
Once you’ve visited Fightcybercrime.org to report and recover from a cybercrime, it’s important to remember to reinforce your cybersecurity going forward. Here are a few key rules to help you defend your cyber safety.
Key rules to avoid online fraud
1. https://
The first thing you should always check when making an online payment through a website is whether the payment gateway has an https URL. The ‘s’ in the URL means that it is a secure protocol and your data is encrypted properly.
2. Be cautious
Being vigilant can help you a lot with the task of shopping online securely. Whenever a website requests more information than is usually required, like your Social Service number or any other kind of personal information, there’s a good chance it’s a scam. You should always be cautious before providing your personal or financial details anywhere on the internet.
3. Stay away from public terminals
It cannot be stressed enough how dangerous it is to share your personal or financial information with any website or any person over the internet while using a public internet connection. Public Wi-Fi networks are common hunting grounds for cyber criminals who try to access your personal information and use it for their benefit at your expense. Public computers are also highly insecure, but there are ways to improve your security. Since public networks often have negligible security, you should avoid them for making online payments. If you must make online transactions while using a public network, use a VPN to stay safe.
4. Strengthen passwords
Perhaps the most basic requirement for any online account setup is using strong passwords. Weak passwords make it simple for hackers to break into your account and cause severe damage.
Read the full blog from NordVPN here.