The Australian Signals Directorate’s (ASD) Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) is encouraging Australians to be cyber smart when shopping online this holiday season.

Online shopping cybercrimes are amongst the most frequently reported type of cybercrime. With more people shopping online every year, it’s important that customers know how to stay secure online.

The best protective measures against cybercrime are knowing how to secure devices and recognise scams, including fake websites or sellers.

How can you help your customers?

Businesses can help their customers stay secure by sharing these 5 simple steps to minimise the cyber threats when shopping online.

  1. Turn on automatic updates and make sure you shop using secure devices.
  2. Use multi-factor authentication and secure passphrases to protect your payment information and accounts.
  3. Use trusted sellers and stick to well known, trusted businesses. Double check to make sure websites are genuine.
  4. Use secure payment methods such as PayPal, BPay or your credit card.
  5. Be alert to fake delivery scams.

Customers should also stay vigilant after a purchase. They should keep alert to scam text messages, including those that ask the customer to click on links. If your customer thinks they may have been a victim of an online shopping scam, they can get support from ASD’s ACSC if things go wrong.

More information

Was this page helpful?