Don't let Black Friday become Black December!

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This weekend is going to see some crazy shopping worldwide. Black Friday and Cyber Monday really get the festive shopping season started and the spending begins.  

Most of the time there is no real danger to online shopping and websites are securely encrypted and controlled. However, it would be a very good idea for you to check that this is the case. It is not just the big corporates that are doing Black Friday deals and there are smaller businesses that are also offering specials. 

Read: Top three Black Friday deals available on the #ECRShop

There is no need to avoid these smaller companies and not take advantage of their deals, but you should not give any personal information over which could put you in danger of cybercriminals attacking.

One of the most useful pieces of information that a cybercriminal can get from you is your ID number. They can use that to find out all sorts of additional information and as we have seen there are some government entities that have possibly been hacked. Bank account numbers are also very useful, and your cell phone number can obviously be used to bother you with unsolicited calls or scams. 

Read: Cyber safety tips to apply this Black Friday

Email addresses can lead to phishing attacks where emails are sent, and you click on the attachments which can unleash viruses onto your system. This information is given out all the time when online shopping and sometimes even in store.  Just be vigilant about who you give it to and how they are storing it. 

Your credit card can be used without it being stolen out of your wallet… online accounts can be hacked… don’t let your November shopping turn into a December nightmare.

VERLIE OOSTHUIZEN

Shepstone & Wylie Social Media Law Department