What can you do to avoid worrying about your data when buying gifts online?

Only one in ten Internet users does their shopping online without fear. How to protect yourself from suspicious offers, fake e-mails and unverified shops? We provide effective tips on how to safely buy Christmas gifts online.

The holidays are coming up in great steps. Poles start buying gifts for their loved ones, and many of them do it exclusively via the Internet. G DATA conducted a survey which showed that online shoppers are still worried about the security of their data, and that the biggest threat is, according to them, theft of credit card data, passwords, etc. Interestingly, e-shops also do not gain the trust of internet users: only one third of them believe that the data provided to shop operators remains safe. Internet users are also particularly cautious when shopping online, and seven out of ten of them pay attention to the security of connection to the site.

Why the fear of shopping?

The survey conducted by G DATA company shows that only one in ten Internet users does not worry about shopping. The main concern is the fear of theft of credit card, user accounts or other personal information. The second place is non-delivery of the order despite payment. Also of great concern is the uncontrolled transfer of data to third parties who have no connection with the purchases made. Users also question the security of data stored by online shops.

Obligation of shops

When doing Christmas shopping, Internet users must provide, among other things, their delivery address and e-mail address, and probably also payment details. Shops must ensure the security of this data, however, the G DATA IT Security Barometer shows that only one third of those surveyed are convinced of their proper conduct. Seven out of ten users report concerns or express uncertainties with regard to data security in online trading. Additionally, only some Internet users pay attention when shopping online to whether the store's website uses a secure connection. Many of them do not pay attention to the letters "https" in the URL or to the padlock icon in the browser's address bar, thus becoming a potential victim of cybercriminals and fraudsters.

How to ensure safety?

We present 6 tips to keep you safe during Christmas shopping online.

Take care of protection: Anti-virus software equipped with a real-time protection module should be installed on every computer, smartphone or tablet from which purchases are made.

Remember to update: The software, applications and operating system installed on your computer or mobile device should be updated to the latest version, and any available updates should be installed immediately. In this way, we protect ourselves from loopholes opening the way for cybercriminals to act.

Verify the payment process: After payment, you should receive a confirmation immediately. Beware of the "advance" option!

Don't fall for fake offers: Remove suspicious messages containing suspicious special offers immediately. Never click on links in such messages or open attachments that may lead directly to a dangerous page.

Buy only in proven online shops: Check the online store carefully, read the general terms and conditions of sale and delivery and find out what additional costs you can expect. It is also worthwhile to read comments on a particular dealer on the web and make sure that they are not on any "blacklist".

Make online payments secure: Pay attention to your browser's security instructions when making payments. An important element is the padlock symbol in the address bar, the abbreviation "https" in front of the correct web address and the display of the correct domain. If there is no such security, no payment or data should be made.

We hope that the above advice will ensure that you will not be worried about your data when buying Christmas gifts online.

PS It is worthwhile to use them not only from the holidays : )