Tips to avoid becoming a victim of cyber fraud this festive season

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According to Deloitte research, while consumers prefer the in-store shopping experience over online, nearly three-quarters of shoppers still intend to do some form of online research prior to making in-store purchases.

Research house Ipsos says that around 50% of African consumers are expected to have access to the internet by 2025 - a trend that will be driven by increased internet penetration. And while e-commerce penetration in South Africa is still relatively low by global standards, the number of online shoppers is expected nearly to triple in South Africa, making the country a significant e-commerce opportunity in the continent.

Evert Smith of Deloitte cautioned that while these trends are very positive, online theft will grow in tandem with these developments if left unchecked.

"Many people are often totally oblivious that they have been scammed due to the sophistication of some of the tactics being used. But in many cases it is often just a matter of a user not having updated his security software, or that he uses outdated software that had security flaws that have since been improved in an updated version," he said.

Pre-emptive steps

According to Smith, online shoppers should take as many pre-emptive steps as possible to reduce risks - and many of these are quite practical things that virtually anyone can do.

"It may sound elementary, but you should only buy from reputable online stores. Do some research on freely available sites like Hellopeter and MyBroadband, and make sure what the site offers can actually be delivered. You know the saying: If it is too good to be true...," he said.

Shoppers should also take the time to read the terms and conditions about returns and refunds very carefully. "Make sure you have some recourse and before you commit to pay or render personal details, make sure the page on which you are filling in the details is secure i.e. https:// is enabled," said Smith.

And where possible, a 'burner card' or virtual credit card should be used. There are several traveller-type cards that can be loaded with funds and only used for online purchases. If the card details are stolen or hacked, the only losses incurred are on that card and not your whole bank account.

Another practical tip is to not shop from an unknown computer or mobile device. "You never know who might be grabbing your user and account details without you knowing it," cautioned Smith.

He said that while there are many more things people can do from a security perspective - like employing specialists to drive anti-fraud strategies - the five simple tips mentioned above are easy to do for most people.

"More and more people are deciding to benefit from the convenience, accessibility and rewards on offer in the growing and increasingly popular online shopping space. However, they should not rush in with their eyes closed either," concluded Smith.