January 2023

The festive season usually creates more online traffic, as most people are trying to shop online, pay for products and services, communicate with loved ones etc. An increase in online traffic also means an increase in online threats. Scammers and hackers will try to get your personal or private information this season.

Pay extra attention to online websites, phishing emails, online giveaways or even familiar links, as you may be one click away from being hacked.

We have compiled some safety tips to protect you and your family from online threats this festive season:

1. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): most websites and social media platforms encourage users to enable two-factor authentication for better protection. Two-factor authentication is adding a layer of protection to your account before logging in by requesting another form of identification different from the password (primary security/ protection). Forms of 2FA identification can be a password (primary security), OTP (one-time passcode) usually sent to your phone number, fingerprint scan etc.
2. Keep software up-to-date: ensure the software on all devices is up-to-date. This will ensure that your devices are protected by the latest security updates available on your software.
3. Visit reliable websites: only shop or make payments on verified and reliable websites. The internet is full of different websites, including ones trying to steal your personal and private information. A legit website will have:
   – A URL with the //HTTPS:// to start with (https//www.epareto.com) or has a lock symbol on the address bar. This means the website owner has ensured secured encryption on the website, to protect the transfer of sensitive information.
   – A contact us page: always check the contact us page of a website before transacting business with them. Ensure that they have multiple contact information provided (phone number, email address, physical address, social media accounts etc.).
   – A properly spelt website name: scammers can create websites with similar domain names to trick unsuspecting users by changing a letter in the original website’s URL e.g. Yah00.com = Yahoo.com.
   – Privacy policy page: various countries have made it mandatory that websites inform users how their information is collected, used, protected and used. A legit website will have a page or link to a document that explains this information.
4. Beware of giveaways: the festive season is when people want opportunities to save money, so scammers create giveaways and offer unsuspecting users exorbitant offers to save money or win prizes by just clicking on a link and inputting your private information. If it feels too good to be true, it usually is.
5. Use good antivirus: ensure the antivirus on your device(s) is verified and up-to-date.
6. Be careful what you open: malware may come in the form of an attachment or fake links in an email, posts, texts etc. Think twice before following such links or downloading the attached files as this may install malware or viruses on your device(s).
7. Check the age of the website: verifying the age of a website gives you confidence that the business has been around for a while, fraudulent websites usually have a short life span. Use www.whois.domaintools.com to check a website’s age, who it is registered to, where they are etc.