Don’t byte if shopping site doesn’t look right

Many of us do much of our shopping online – but potential hacks and scams are only a click away. Experts from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk have come up with ways we can protect ourselves when shopping online. MARIA CROCE reports on their top tips

The Ordinary Silicone Primer, £3.90, lookfantastic.com A budget-friendly primer that will hydrate, mattify and smooth the skin USE hard to guess alphanumeric passwords with symbols, even if you have to write them all down somewhere secure at home. Keep them different for each site you use, too. Using the same simple but memorable password for every website for years, such as a pet’s name, is asking for trouble. A WEB address, or URL, that begins with HTTPS is secure. One without the HTTP may not be. Other signs of shopping site security to look out for could include a closed padlock or complete key, possibly green, alongside the URL, next to the search bar or around the screen. ENTERING personal information such as credit card details, passwords or your home address while using free public wifi hotspots is dangerous as your data won’t be protected by encryption and could be vulnerable to hackers. USING an older version of a popular internet browser, operating system or anti-virus software on your computer means you’ll be missing out on important security updates, which could leave you exposed.

Just as you would when shopping on the high street, if you feel like a website is requesting too much personal information or could harm your computer with viruses, close it. If in any doubt, stick to shopping on sites you know and trust. Remember, if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.

MOST mobile phones won’t have the same level of anti-virus