... for adults

There are many bargains and benefits to be had shopping online. Although there is some important security advice that should be taken into consideration on every occasion to ensure you stay safe while you shop.

There are numerous scammers who become more sophisticated every day. Therefore, consumers shopping online need to become more vigilant and wary as to the pitfalls.

Suffolk Police’s golden rules to shopping online are;

• The hacker or code writer is relying upon the fact that you become complacent and don’t keep your security systems up to date. For this reason it is very important to keep your anti-virus products up to date. This reduces the likelihood of malicious code or key-logging software running on your computer without your knowledge
• Don’t ever select the remember my password option when registering online as your passwords are then stored on the PC, often in plain text, and are the first thing that a fraudster will target. If you were to ever loose or have your PC stolen then the passwords would also go with it
• Ensure that your credit cards are registered with your card provider’s online security services such as Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode
• Use only one card for online shopping, maintaining a limit on the card as low as possible, or even use a top-up card for online purchasing
• Use a credit card and not a debit card. The banks provide security guarantees with a credit card that are not given with a debit card
• Check your statements regularly, if there is any sign of irregular activity, report it straight a way
• Always check for the little padlock symbol somewhere in the browser before entering your card details
• Check the site’s privacy policy for details of how your personal information will be used and only provide the minimum of personal information, especially in online forms
• Don’t use links from spam e-mail to purchase goods and never rely on customers’ testimonials. They could be part of the organisation’s marketing strategy and may not necessarily be factual
• The golden rule of commerce is still the same as it ever was – if the offer looks too good to be true, it probably is!