Tips for keeping your data secure while holiday shopping online

82 percent of Aussies plan to shop the online sales this year, almost half of Australians plan to shop the online sales on Black Friday (44 percent), with Early Bird Black Friday Sales (35 percent), and Cyber Monday (28 percent) also being popular.  This time of year isn’t just a revenue generator for retailers, but cyber criminals will be cashing in as Aussies scramble to find deals. 

PayPal has found that 74 percent of Australians are more concerned about their online security than they were 12 months ago following ongoing high-profile data-breaches and scams. Shoppers are now hyper-aware of where they are shopping and how they are protecting their personal and banking information. According to PayPal’s research, 93 percent of customers have taken at least one proactive measure to protect themselves online. Almost 2-in-5 Aussies (37 percent) have even felt they had no choice but to abandon purchases due to security concerns. 

To ensure you get your holiday shopping done with confidence, PayPal has put together their guide for successful and safe online sale shopping this peak season.  

Look for local deals online

This will not only support local business and stimulate the economy, but it can help shoppers avoid extortionate shipping costs, delays, and an often huge environmental impact when buying from international retailers. Shopping from a familiar brand also means you can avoid any unwanted surprises in the holiday rush.

Check reviews

Checking reviews on a retailer’s website is really useful to make sure you know what to expect from your order. If a website doesn’t have reviews, third party review websites are also great for identifying fraudulent activity or negative experiences.

Do your research

This ties in to the above, check out not only reviews, but also have a search for what deals you may be missing out on. While you can’t beat exhaustive manual online research, online tools such as PayPal Honey can help by quickly checking for any special offers you may otherwise have missed.  

Don’t count your savings till they’re shipped

Always double check the shipping fee to make sure you’re comparing deals properly. So many shoppers are caught out by hidden fees at checkout which lead to a huge proportion of cart abandonments. 

Know your returns options

Give yourself a way out, shop with retailers that offer a reasonable returns policy.  

Look for the lock

When shopping online, check to make sure the site is secure by checking the web address begins with https:// and includes a padlock icon which means the site is secured with a digital certificate.

Keep your financial details safe online

By using a secure payment method like PayPal you can help protect your personal and financial information from potential fraud and give yourself the best odds that your transactions remain secure. 

Avoid public and unsecured wi-fi networks

Always use a trusted wi-fi network when you’re shopping online. Hackers can use unsecured wi-fi networks to tap into devices and steal information. This advice goes for any public networks or devices, never save your card or address details to a device that is used by others that shouldn’t have access to it – for example, a school or library computer. 

 Stay up to date on the latest scams targeting consumers at www.scamwatch.gov.au, or visit www.esafety.gov.au to learn about how you can better protect yourself online among other things.