2020 has brought financial hardship to many this year, making the ‘Cyber Monday’ which has continued from ‘Black Friday’ all the more appealing for shoppers wanting to bag a bargain ahead of Christmas.

Cyber Monday (30^th November 2020) falls after the Black Friday weekend and is widely recognized for being the busiest day of the year for online shopping with endless discounts and deals up for grabs.

However, it is important to remain vigilant and savvy when shopping online, particularly so this year, as predatory scammers are likely to be waiting to take advantage of the situation we find ourselves in.

As specialists in data protection and data breach incidents here at Angelus Law, we’ve created a list of security tips to keep your data and livelihood protected this Cyber Monday.

• Research your retailers – Do a quick search of your retailer’s social media and online reviews if you have any doubt over the authenticity of the brand.
• Make sure the website is secure – look out for the padlock symbol and “https” in the URL bar at the top of the page.
• Keep virus and software protection up to date on your device.
• Don’t use public Wi-Fi – open networks are not secure and can easily be hacked into.
• Pay using PayPal or using a credit card if possible as this gives you more financial protection.
• Avoid unconvincing mailouts from retailers – if you receive an email from a brand you are not on the mailing list for, or receive an email that looks suspicious/not authentic, don’t click on it, this is likely to be a phishing scam.
• Suspicious amount of security questions at checkout? This could be the sign that a website hacker is trying to gain access to your bank details. Be vigilant of this!

Phi Lewis, the Chief Executive of the Anti-Counterfeiting Group, has issued a plea for shoppers to be aware of the heightened risks this festive season. “As we meet these Black Friday and Cyber Monday ‘deal days’ in the run-up to the festive season the scope of fakes will continue to grow and will include more and more unsafe products, including household appliances, toiletries, perfumes, hygiene and body care items.

“We are warning all consumers to be vigilant and check what they are buying.

“If you are buying from a social media site make sure you check the product is being sold by a reputable source.”

If you find yourself in a data breach incident, which has compromised your personal data or exposed your privacy and would like to like to find out more about how we can help, please contact our Data Breach Team today!