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Be aware online ahead of Christmas

by Mark Rowe

Beware when doing things online financially, warn the authorities. If you are giving to charity, make some simple checks, to make sure their donations reach those intended.

– Check the charity name and its registration number on the Charity Commission website to find out whether the charity is legitimate.
– Use the Fundraising Regulator’s online Directory to find out whether a charity has registered with it and committed to excellent fundraising.
– Look out for the Fundraising Badge on charity marketing materials – when people see it, they can have confidence in charity’s fundraising.
– Ask questions about the cause – if people are still unsure about giving, they should always ask for more info. Legitimate causes will be happy to respond.

Pauline Smith, Director of the police reporting line Action Fraud, said: “Charities work tirelessly all year round to help those in greatest need. Sadly, criminals will try to abuse the generosity and goodwill of others and this can have a huge financial impact on charities and the causes they support.

“We would encourage people not to be put off donating to charities, but to follow a few simple steps to ensure your donations don’t end up in the wrong hands this Christmas. Make sure you do your research before donating to ensure you’re giving your money to a legitimate charity this Christmas.”

If the price of a good or service seems too good to be true or if a high-demand or hard to get item becomes available on an unknown website, be cautious, is the advice from a security awareness training and simulated phishing platform.

– Always double-check the seller’s online presence and reputation when making online purchases, especially if it is from a website you have never heard of.
– When paying for items, be careful of offers to accept gift cards that are for other stores as payment, and if paying for items with an online payment app such as – PayPal, ensure that the method of payment offers the buyer protection.
– Ensure that you do not reuse passwords across different websites and use a password that is not easily guessable. Cybercriminals know that if they get one password, it is likely to work in other places. Password managers are a great tool for storing passwords safely.
– Enabling multi-factor authentication on email, shopping and social media accounts whenever possible is a positive extra step that end users can take to better protect their accounts.

Stu Sjouwerman, CEO at KnowBe4, says: “Nothing will rob a person of holiday cheer as fast as discovering that they have been scammed out of their hard-earned money. Some of the best ways to stay safe during the holiday season are not even high tech in nature, making these tips easy for anyone to follow. Taking note of these five simple tips is a great way to ensure that everyone has a safe and secure holiday season.”

Visit: https://www.knowbe4.com/holiday-resource-kit.

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