It’s no surprise that online shopping is a popular activity amongst Canadians; as a matter of fact, in 2022, there were over 27 million eCommerce users in Canada, accounting for 75% of the country’s population.
While shopping online is easy and convenient for many Canadians, it’s not without its risks.
As an insurance company, we are in the business of assessing risk, so we worked with our cybersecurity team to share with you some of their recommended tips and tricks to shop online more securely and with the confidence of knowing that you’re protected.
First, it’s important to understand…
What are the Security Risks of Shopping Online?
How do I Know if Online Shopping is Safe?
Tips and Tricks to Help Protect Yourself While Shopping Online
How Can You Protect Your Online Presence?
What are the Security Risks of Shopping Online?
Data Breach
When shopping online, you’re sharing a lot of sensitive information to a third-party. This can include your full name, phone number, home address, email address, and credit cardinformation.
Exposure to Malware
In a previous article, we talk about the dangers of malware. Malware is a catch-all term for any type of malicious software designed to harm or exploit any programmable device, service, or network. These viruses can invade, damage, or disable computers, operating systems, networks, or mobile devices, by taking partial control over a device’s operations.
Insecure Payment Options
Being vigilant where you are sending your sensitive personal information is important.. Unfortunately, cyber thieves can intercept and retrieve financial information, including credit card numbers, from vulnerabilities in insecure payment methods.
If you’re sending payment online, consider using a trusted payment provider.
Fake Reviews
While fake reviews can’t harm your computer or steal digital information, they may be on a site that could have the potential to do so.
Artificial intelligence (or AI) can be used to create multiple fake reviews of a product to post online. These AI systems may have the potential to create fake videos using the likeness of recognizable people to advocate for an otherwise faulty product.
How do I Know if Online Shopping is Safe?
Now that you’re aware of some of the risk of online shopping, you might be wondering if it’s even safe to do so – and the answer is… it is, so long as you know what to spot.
How to Spot an Unsafe Online Store?
The Canadian government share some tips from their cyber security website, and we’ll share a few of our favourite tips below for what to look out for:
- Typos or errors in the address bar. This is especially common when cyber criminals create spoofed websites of popular brands. For example, websites like nika.com or go0gle.ca are not what they seem to be.
- Oddly priced items are a sign that the website is unsafe to purchase from. If the price seems too good to be true… it probably is.
- A small padlock symbol to the left of the URL in the address bar. A locked padlock shows that the website’s data is secured – we share more about that in our tips.
While there are risks to shopping online and an abundance of shady websites, we don’t want to discourage you from shopping online. We simply want to provide you with tips to help you make better and informed decisions. So to help here are…
Tips and Tricks to Help Protect Yourself While Shopping Online
- Do your online shopping on sites you know are reputable and secure.
- Always check the URL of the website in the web browser. Fraudsters sometimes change a letter or use domain names that end in .net or .org, which are rarely used by online retailers. Another important signal that indicates a website is secure is the letter s in https://, but this isn’t always a guaranteed indicator of safety.
- Pay using your credit card or PayPal online account. Credit card companies and PayPal offer consumers certain protection if things go wrong with a purchase. Be suspicious if a website asks for a bank transfer because those are unlikely to be refunded if the transaction is fraudulent.
- Consider purchasing home insurance to protect yourself against identity theft
- Whether you’re shopping at the mall or online, remember to stay alert and protect your information.
How Can You Protect Your Online Presence?
We’ve explored the topic of cyber security in a variety of different articles, but it’s still important to remind everyone of the things they can do to help protect their personal information. For example:
Set a Passphrase
We all know that it is important to set a strong password, but have you considered a passphrase? As the name suggests, a passphrase is a longer passcode – typically a phrase – that makes it harder for hackers to uncover.
To help strengthen your passphrase, be sure to include special characters throughout the phrase. Something as simple as replacing the “S” with a “$” or an “O” with a “0” are subtle differences that are enough to help you remember your password and confused those looking to steal private information.
Use an Anti-Virus Software
Similarly to a vaccine, an anti-virus software is a good way to help prevent viruses from entering your computer. This software can conduct scans that will identify and delete any malware, adware, or spyware.
Be sure to do your own research to see which anti-virus option works best for you.
Be aware of Phishing Attempts
Another thing to be wary about are phishing attempts. Phishing is an attempt by cybercriminals, posing as a legitimate institution, or someone you know – like a friend or family member, to obtain sensitive information. In a phishing attempt they will use deceptive emails to “fish for” account numbers and lure people into falling for scams.
Usually you can tell if an email is a phishing scheme if there are several typos in the email address or body of the email, if you see a hyperlink and you hover your cursor over it you’ll see a large URL (typically with even more spelling mistakes), or requesting information you wouldn’t otherwise send via email (for example request for your social insurance number).
Review Your Security and Privacy Settings
For both your phone and computer, make sure you set a strong passcode (or passphrase) to ensure no one will have access to it. Your phone may have fingerprint or face ID unique to you to unlock your phone. Check to see if your location is switched off so nobody can track you.
Review Your Social Media Settings
Many people may not be aware of their current social media settings – in one of our articles we explain how utilizing your social media may inadvertently increase the risk of a home break-in and provide advice on how you can combat it, including:
- Checking the privacy and security settings of your social media accounts and use them to determine who has access to your personal information.
- Review pictures previously posted on your accounts and removing any information someone might use to scope you out.
- Turning off geotagging for your photos.
Avoid Using Public Wi-Fi
Using public wi-fi may make you vulnerable to a cyber security breach – as you are browsing on a public (and unsecured) network. It’s recommended to wait until you are home before utilizing the wi-fi (or utilizing your own data).
Cybersecurity starts with you, and we hope that these tips will leave you feeling confident to shop online. For more tips be sure to visit https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en
Disclaimer: This information and the websites referenced are provided for your convenience only and should not be construed as providing legal or insurance advice. Allstate does not control or guarantee the accuracy of any content on any third-party site. Allstate is not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party site.