Page 8 - FWG Issue 10 November 2024

Security

SHOPPING SAFETY

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Back Friday, Cyber Monday and Festive Season
shopping should be happy and carefree events. You
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work hard for your money; don’t et criminals steal
your joy this shopping season.

1. Safety at the Mall

• Be aware of your surroundings - this
is one of your greatest weapons, as
distraction is your biggest enemy.
• Park in well-lit areas as close to the
entrance door.
• Do not sit in your car checking messages;
you are vulnerable and distracted.
• Never leave valuables in plain sight in
your car; put them in the boot.
• Manually check that your car doors
are locked; remote car-jamming is a
common threat. Even if your car makes
a locking sound, double-check every
time.
• Keep your cash in your wallet to the
minimum and don’t let people see how
much you carry.
• Refrain from wearing expensive jewellery
and watches when out shopping.
• Keep your mobile phone and wallet out
of sight.
Image by Cardmapr on unsplash
• Keep the zip of your handbag closed.
• Carry your keys, ready to unlock the car
when you enter the parking area.

2. Online shopping

• Look for the lock • Do your online shopping in safe places • Use strong passwords
Only transact on secure websites. Look Don’t do your online shopping in coffee Don’t create a password that is easy to
for the lock image on the toolbar, valid shops and malls. With public Wi-Fi, guess or hack. Use an 8-digit password
certificates such as VeriSign, and secure there’s a bigger chance for fraudsters to combination of upper-case letters,
payment systems such as PayU. When intercept your connection and get hold of symbols, and numbers.
you get to the page where you enter your your usernames and passwords.
credit card or other personal information, • Use two-factor authentication methods
look for an ‘s’ after ‘http://’ in the web • Watch out for strange emails and links The OTP (one-time PIN) is a must-have in
address of that page – it should read: Fraudsters are quite good at mimicking online shopping and banking.
‘https://’. known websites, which enables them to
easily create emails with fraudulent links
that look legitimate.

Fourways Gardens • 6 • November 2024