Decalogue for cybersecure Christmas shopping

• The team of experts from S2 Grupo has pointed out that the main baits used by cybercriminals are fake discount codes, raffles and irresistible items with incredible discounts.
• Its purpose is to get money, payment data, personal data or Internet services credentials.
• Some recommendations are to buy only on https websites, check that they have valid certificates, that the payment page is also secure and consult the opinions of other customers.

Valencia, December 16, 2019.- S2 Grupo, a company specialized in cybersecurity and critical systems management, has stressed that every year more and more people decide to make their Christmas purchases online. For this reason, it is essential to know how to make them in a secure way to avoid being victims of scams or fraud. As indicated by the company, the purpose of cybercriminals is to obtain money, payment data, personal data or credentials of Internet services. “We have to bear in mind that one of the main targets of cybercriminals is money. Usually, their actions are aimed at obtaining the payment data of people and, therefore, knowing how to protect the credentials that we introduce when buying is essential to avoid being one of their victims”, explained José Rosell, managing-partner of S2 Grupo. “We have an innate tendency to go for big discounts or bargains, however, it is very important that we be cautious with this because in the end what is cheap can turn out to be very expensive. The main baits used by cybercriminals are false discount codes, raffles and irresistible items with incredible sales”, said Miguel A. Juan, managing-partner of S2 Grupo. To this end, the team of experts at S2 Grupo has drawn up a decalogue with 10 keys to make Christmas purchases in a cybersecure way:

1. Check the address bar.- It is essential to check that we are on the website of the official website where we want to buy. Sometimes, cybercriminals create a fake website where they change one or two characters so that it goes unnoticed by the customer.
2. Buy only on secure websites.- They are those that start with https and/or have a closed padlock symbol. These are pages that guarantee that the information we enter travels encrypted and will not be accessible to third parties.
3. Check if you have a valid certificate.- SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates authenticate the identity of a website and inform you that the information sent to the server is encrypted with SSL technology.
4. Confirm if the online store is reliable. – Even if the web is secure, there are digital stores that offer great offers and are fraudulent. One option is to search for opinions online before buying.
5. A pop-up with cookies policy appears when you open the website. - If this is the case, we are on a page that shows signs of their commitment to customer privacy.
6. Check the shop details.- If it is a reliable shop, it will give contact information, physical address, etc.
7. Check the return policy and that there is no fine print in this matter.
8. Before buying, check for other customers’ opinions.
9. Check that the payment page is secure as well. Do not save the payment method in the database and/or use prepaid cards online.
10. Do not use online shopping using public Wi-Fi because although the website is secure, we expose ourselves to the action of third parties.

More information: prensa@s2grupo.es