Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, Kenyans were conditioned to shop online, to avoid crowding at malls and stay safe. As frenzied Christmas shopping bonanza ensues, however, cybercriminals will have a field day online targeting unsuspecting shoppers. To be more vigilant this time of year, here’s how to protect yourself while shopping online.

Don’t click links in emails

Fraudsters commonly use Emails to access credit card information or identity.

They send phishing emails, in which they copy a store’s sale or discount email and include a link to a false portal asking for your information.

Retailers have been hit hard by the pandemic, and will likely send out even more emails, showcasing their discounts and offers, which can be easily spoofed to trick consumers.

If you are still not sure, reach out to the retailer via their website to authenticate the email.

Avoid pop-ups and ads

Malware and viruses aren’t just spread via email. They also spread pop-ups and advertisements.

These are referred to as malicious advertising, whereby ads sends you to sites that ask for your information, and infect your device with a wide variety of harmful programming such as adware, spyware and ransomware.

This is a form of malware that locks for specific files or your entire computer and forces you to pay to get access back. If a deal is legitimate, it will be on the company’s site.

Don’t open attachments

Just as you should avoid clicking email links, don’t open attachments from retailers, they can’t hide deals in attachments. However, that is where attackers hide malware.

Criminals are impersonating retailers and send fake emails that seems to be from an e-Commerce platform like Jumia or Masoko.

Instead of clicking on a tracking number listed in an email or opening up an attachment, go directly to jumia.com to check the tracking number.

Beware of e-skimmers

Card skimming is a scam that typically happens at gas stations or ATMs, where a criminal installs a device that gathers credit card numbers and information when you swipe your card.

The practice has now gone digital, with cyber thieves installing malicious code on a retailer’s website to gather credit card data when you check out.

To protect yourself from this practice, pay using a third party like Mastercard, or create a virtual credit card through on your card issuer’s website that provides temporary numbers so your information stays secure.

Use a credit card

It is highly recommended that you use credit cards instead of debit cards.

Many major credit card companies, including Mastercard and Visa offer “zero liability” policies, so you don’t have to pay for any fraud.

It is recommended that you save your debit card for taking out cash. Also, make sure to avoid suspicious ATMs.

If the ATM looks broken, or anything on the front of the machine appears dislodged or jerry-rigged, it could mean that someone has installed a card-skimming machine.

Use secure network to shop

Avoid public Wi-Fi to access sensitive information. If you must use them, let it be a Virtual Private Network that encrypts your browsing history and activity.

With cyber criminals lurking during the holiday season, it is a particularly dangerous time of year.

Also, consider using your smartphone’s cellular network to browse the internet.

Without proper network precautions, hacker sitting at your local Java Coffee House could sneak into your device and watch you input your credit card information.

Be suspicious of free offers

During the holidays, there’s an “explosion” of survey and gift card scams. These are emails that supposedly offer you payments or gift cards in exchange for taking surveys.

Instead, when the user clicks through, they end up on websites that may look legitimate and ask you for your credit card information or eCommerce account credentials “so they can pay you.”

Yet when you type your credentials in this site, you are giving them directly to the attacker.

These emails contain “hidden text” scammers put in to confuse the mail protections that Microsoft or Google use to protect you.

Diversify your passwords

Many internet users deploy the same passwords over and over again. Cyber thieves can use a stolen password to try and break into other accounts and sites that may expose your personal data.

This is common during the holiday shopping season. “Phishing attempts are often disguised as sign-ups for retail rewards programs. If you take the offer, use a new password.

For a more long-term solution, get a password manager. These programs automatically generate unique, secure passwords for all your accounts and remember them for you.

Monitor your accounts

Throughout the holiday season, keep a close eye on your bank and credit card accounts.

Cyber security experts have observed that often, criminals will make small charges using bot technology to see if the charge will go through before making larger purchases.

To help protect your identity, set up alerts and monitoring either with your bank or an outside app such as IdentityForce that let’s you know if any suspicious activity occurs.

Also, keep a close eye on your annual credit report for any new accounts or queries you didn’t initiate.

Beware gift card scams

A gift card can be the perfect holiday gift for that hard-to-please person on your list. But scams tied to these cards are becoming increasingly popular.

One popular strategy used by criminals is to scan or write down the card number in the store, draining the funds before they are even gifted.

When buying physical gift cards off the shelf, carefully inspect it to make sure there’s no tampering and you cannot see the code or PIN. Many experts recommend buying electronic gift cards online.