It seems as if our lives are becoming busier and busier, even with all of the latest gadgets and gizmos available to make our lives easier, it feels as if there are not enough hours in the day so that is why I am always keen to find even more ways to do those things that usually take time, more quickly.
Personally I use my mobile phone for all types of things, for instance I am a total bingo freak and I use my mobile to find the best bingo sites, so I spend quite a bit of my spare time on there, plus I love saving the world from imminent danger, battling zombies who threaten my very way of life as well as budgeting my personal finances whilst browsing all the travel destinations I would like to visit.
I am also an avid shopper and a total fan of online, mobile shopping, I love visiting websites like https://www.raise.com/coupons/nike just to find great online offers. Battling the thongs in the high street holds no romance for me at all, I much prefer meeting up with friends over a slow lunch. I am quite savvy when it comes to shopping online and can spot a scam, or so I thought until I feel foul of one of the clever scams out there. This prompted me to think of what I should have done to avoid this type of situation and below are some of my thoughts on the matter.
- Firstly remember that no matter what time of year it is try your best not to fall prey to cyber swindlers who try to get to your personal info through a cleverly designed email. If you are not sure where the email came from wait till you get home and can open it up on your laptop or PC and when you do look for simple things like spelling mistakes. A good tip is to copy and then paste the links in a new browser window as this is a safe and secure way to test the URL’s value. Another thing you could try is tor rest your cursor on top of the link in your email and you will see and URL pop up. If this URL does not match the typed link then it is safe to say that it is a phishing attempt, and that the mail needs binning.
- Many people have anti-virus protection for the PC or laptop but the same numbers do not have this protection for their mobile phone, one that can actively scan apps and blocks those sites that are shady and not transparent.
- Download the shopping apps from the major players like Google Play, iTunes and Amazon
- Give newly downloaded apps a scan for any spyware or virus
- Read reviews and ratings to confirm the apps good rating
- Try your best to keep away from public Wi-Fi whilst shopping online, stick with your own mobile network
- Always remember to either save the online receipt or take a screen capture of the window then email the file to yourself.
Remember too there are those out there who will quite happily stare over your shoulder when you are imputing private data so just like at an ATM machine keep your details away from prying eyes.
