Black Friday online security shopping tips

It’s a few days to Black Friday, and every online shopper knows what that means – time to get on the internet and look for the best deals. But sometimes, the deals can be too good to be true, and a good black Friday can easily be ruined. We are here to make sure that doesn’t happen, below are ways to ensure your security and privacy are protected when shopping online on Black Friday;

Avoid Public WIFI

Most Black Friday deals will be in small quantities or have a limited time offer. To save time and data, you may want to connect to a public WIFI and complete your purchases, but that might not be a good idea. We have highlighted so many times about dangers of public Wi-Fi, and on Black Friday, cybercriminals will only be after one thing; identity theft and fraud.

Ensure you’re visiting a legitimate secure site

In a rush to get time-limited deals and offers, you might click on a wrong website that has been spoofed to look like a legitimate site. You may then enter your details unknowingly hence giving them freely to cybercriminals. To avoid this, ensure you look at the URL bar and ensure there are no typos of any kind, also ensure the site’s URL has the following, https:// before the rest of the URL address. Most e-commerce sites use https, and this means your connection to the website is encrypted. Spoofed sites and other unsecured sites only have HTTP.

Also, be aware of ads and other URL shorteners as they contain trackers.

Secure your credit card

During the shopping frenzy, you might lose track of what you have purchased. It can be possible that cybercriminals have got their hands on your card details and will also make purchases without your knowledge. To ensure this does not happen, ensure your bank sends you real-time notifications every time you make a purchase, i.e., via a banking app. if you notice a purchase that you didn’t make, have the bank to put a hold on your card.

Alternatively, you can use a virtual credit card, that’s, a digital card that’s linked to your credit card. With a virtual card, your details are not revealed when doing shopping. You can also set purchases of up to a certain amount and even an expiry date.

Avoid email phishing scams and campaigns

As Black Friday is approaching, you might notice you are getting a lot of promotional emails. Some of them might be legitimate while others are not. To be safe, don’t open any links or attachments in those emails. The best thing you can do is open the website on your browser and search for the deals. It might sound like a big hassle but at the end, you won’t be a victim of phishing and scamming. If by any chance you open a link, be careful regarding what information you give out if you are asked to give your Personally Identifying Information, close that link.

Have a unique strong password

In one way or another, online security and privacy start with a password; a stronger password ensures you are protected while a weaker password is an open gate to cybercriminals. To be safe during Black Friday, use a unique strong password and also use a password manager as you won’t be able to remember all the strong passwords since you will be creating numerous shopping accounts.

Keep your system updated

Ensure your browser and your antivirus are updated before you start grabbing Black Friday deals. Updating will patch your software and ensure vulnerabilities which might be exploited during your shopping frenzy are fixed.

Use a VPN

Using a VPN during this Black Friday will help you avert privacy risks and online threats. IPBurger VPN provides the best in class security as well as the required levels of encryptions to keep you safe on the internet. With its numerous server locations, you can hide your real IP address and use a virtual one depending on your preference. This will further help you get better deals from other places. All you have to do is to subscribe to one of IPBurger’s plans, and all your online worries will be taken care of.