Guard your personal information while shopping online

There is an appeal for Jamaicans to make an extra effort to protect their personal and financial information while shopping online during the Christmas season.

The appeal comes from Dr Moniphia Hewling, head of the Cyber Incidence Response Team (CIRT), who notes that there is an increase in cybercrime globally at this time of the year as last-minute shoppers browse the Internet for deals.

She revealed, too, that locally there have been reports of persons paying for items through websites, but not receiving their orders.

“There is a lot of shopping taking place on social media as well, so we must ensure that the persons we are purchasing from are legitimate,” Hewling warned.

She urged members of the public to be on the lookout for what she described as malicious email.

 One of the most common forms of cyberattack on social media, the CIRT head explained, is when users are invited to click on a link that request personal or financial information.

“These emails will look like they are coming from a genuine sender, a financial institution, an e-Commerce site or some business site that you usually shop on,” she pointed out.

“You need to ensure that you look carefully to verify the website and, if possible, call to check. If the offer seems too good to be true, it probably is,” she cautioned.

Dr. Hewling warned, too, that shoppers should pay attention to the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) when they go to shop online to ensure that the site is authentic.

“During this season, fake sites usually pop up imitating genuine sites, with the only difference being ‘.com’ instead of ‘.net’ or with a letter missing sometimes,” she said.

Five ways you can protect yourself while you shop online:

1. Double-check information you see advertised

2. Call the company responsible for the ads

3. Check their ratings and the reviews posted by other customers

4. Look out for malicious email.

5. Ensure your device has the most up-to-date software and protection

Persons who fall victim to Internet scams should immediately make a report to the police and their financial institution.

Those who need further assistance can contact the CIRT at jamaicacirt@mset.gov.jm, she said.

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