Fortinet offers security tips for staying safe in online shopping

Fortinet, the global leader in high-performance cyber security solutions issued an alert to all online shoppers in Sri Lanka to stay vigilant when performing online shopping, as a dizzying array of must-have connected devices from smart accessories and appliances, to game consoles and online games, to web-enabled toys hit the virtual stores. 
“Online shopping promotions and deals have captured the attention of many people,” said Rajesh Maurya, Regional Director, India & SAARC, Fortinet. “Given the rise in identity theft, malware, phishing and scam sites, online shoppers need to be more careful than ever especially during festive seasons. Online shoppers will become the perfect targets for cyber criminals if they get too carefree about their online safety.” 
Here are 3 top security tips that Indian consumers should remember when shopping online:
1. Practise safe online shopping
nUse credit, not debit. Use your credit card and not your debit card when making online purchases to take advantage of its built-in consumer fraud protection. If you use services such as PayPal, ApplePay, or Google Wallet, make sure you are using payment options linked to a credit card.
nUse a secure, trusted VPN provider–If you are using the public WiFi connection you may want to think twice before making an online financial transaction. Remember that you should always use a secure, trusted and encrypted VPN provider on any open WiFi network. Look at the URL bar of your browser and make sure that the address starts with https:// rather than http://, which means that the transactions are protected using SSL encryption.
nTrack your bank and credit card statements – Look at your bank and credit card statements online during heavy shopping periods. The quicker you spot unauthorized transactions the faster you can get the resolves and limit your exposure.
2. Think twice before buying connected devices
Many of the items being purchased this holiday season are tech devices that can connect to the Internet. Unfortunately, very few of these devices were designed with security in mind. These devices can often be used to collect personal information, or they can be hijacked and used as weapons.
3. Beware of emerging threats
Fortinet is starting to see a wave of new threats that are likely to begin targeting consumers. 
nRansomware – This year we saw the rise of targeted attacks that take over or encrypt computers or networks and demand the payment of ransom for them to be released. We anticipate that this sort of ransom-based attack will be expanded to include connected home devices, such as alarm systems, refrigerators, cars, utility meters, etc.
nStolen online accounts – We have seen many stolen or spoofed online accounts that either already belong to someone else, or were opened using stolen credentials. Regularly check your accounts and track your bank and credit card statements for unauthorized purchases.