Christmas Safety
Tis the season to avoid online scammers
In a bid to avoid Christmas crowds, online shopping during the festive season is very appealing. And while the ease and
convenience of shopping from the comfort of home is a positive, it’s still important to be aware of simple security measures to ensure it’s not the season to be scammed.
During heavy shopping periods such as Christmas, the risk of online fraud and scams increases.
Heritage Bank has provided some simple tips to help you stay safe while shopping online during the Christmas period.
- Protect your privacy – When you shop online, only include relevant information and check privacy policy and security of sites you visit.
- Read all the fine print – This includes
refund and complaints handling policies. Are there any hidden costs you’ll be hit with at the check-out? There could be conversion costs (for international purchases) or hidden fees.
- Don’t overshare on social media – Check your social media privacy settings. Do not post personal information that will put you at risk.
- Reject Scam callers – Financial
institutions will never make unsolicited calls or emails asking for your personal banking details or card details, so always check with your provider.
- Be alert to ‘romance scams’ – Over the Christmas and New Year period in
particular romance scams cause millions of dollars of loss to Australians.
- Don’t send your bank or credit card
details via email to pay for purchases – Only pay via a secure web page that has a valid digital certificate. It should have a
padlock symbol and an address starting with https://
For more details about reporting and identifying scams and fraud, visit the SCAMWATCH and Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network websites.
