This December, the Cybersecurity Agency of Catalonia has launched a new awareness campaign to help citizens avoid the risks of online shopping. The campaign 'It's time for gifts, identify safe shopping' lists a series of tips, recommendations and instructions to prevent the theft of personal and bank details or financial scams, as well as the possibility of receiving fake items or poor quality products. In this sense, the main advice is to check that the purchase is made through the brand's official website, use secure payment gateways and payment methods and check bank charges. The Cybersecurity Agency of Catalonia warns that most fraudulent purchases start from misleading advertisements that appear on networks or browsers, since cybercriminals currently use these channels to spread false campaigns where they impersonate well-known brands. The posts mimic the look of the original brand to build trust and offer the products at very low prices to attract attention. If a person clicks, they are redirected to a fraudulent website that is very similar to the brand's official website, and from there, cybercriminals steal personal and banking details and the money for the purchase.
In order to avoid complex situations, the Cybersecurity Agency of Catalonia suggests:
Before you buy:
- Access the store directly through its official website and not through links received.
- Be very careful with promotions, offers or discounts.
- If it's your first time shopping in the store, look for reviews or opinions.
- Do not buy online if you are connected to public Wi-Fi and do it with your devices.
During purchase:
- Please review your order and payment details before making payment.
- The most used secure gateways in Spain are Redsys, PayPal and Stripe.
- Use secure methods such as credit, debit or Bizum cards and avoid transfers.
- It is highly recommended to have a prepaid card for online purchases.
After purchasing:
- Check if you have received a purchase reference number.
- Check that the charges made are correct.
- When you receive your purchase, make sure it is exactly what you ordered.
- Periodically review your bank account movements.