Online shoppers cautioned again

1. Tune your shopping machine: Like the tune-up your car might be getting before a long drive to deliver holiday gifts to relatives, your laptop may need a little attention before going online for some power shopping. Give it improved protection, by updating and patching your browser, operating system and anti-malware suite.
2. Stick with familiar faces: "Buy from websites that have established a reputation for doing what they say, providing accurate descriptions of merchandise and delivering it in good shape and on time," says Carey van Vlaanderen, CEO of ESET Southern Africa.
3. Be wary of "amazing" deals: If it looks too good to be true, it probably is, particularly if it's an amazing offer on one of the hottest products of the season. Such deals can be very tempting, but it really is safer to avoid following links that offer goods, services or gift cards at impossibly cheap prices, they are just too risky. Not all discount vendors are scammers, but ask if the promised savings are worth the gamble (or Google the offer and/or vendor to see what others are saying).
4. Insist on secure transactions: When you are in the ordering process on a website check to make sure it is using SSL, the standard in secure transactions that shows up in several ways. You should be able to see https or shttp in front of the web address instead of http. There may also be a lock or key symbol in the browser window as well. Using SSL encrypts the exchange of information, such as your credit card, so eavesdroppers cannot read it. When in doubt, a quick search in Google for the word "scam" or "fraud" along with the site name should tell you if that site has a history of problems.
5. Think before you act: Watch out for urgent deals that arrive in unsolicited email or purport to be from friends on social networking sites. If you think the deal is real, open a browser and type the name of the website directly into the address bar. This will keep you from getting swept away by scam links to fake websites.

"Remember, as in life, there are things on your computer that can seem too good to be true, and holiday shopping on the internet is no different. Caution may sound boring, but it can pay off," concludes van Vlaanderen.

For more information go to http://www.eset.co.za.