Shopping is Malaysia’s favourite pastime, The Edge Market‘s survey puts us at the top spot in online shopping with almost 22 million shoppers and we will shop-hop to as many as seven websites to make better decisions before making a purchase.
According to Edge Market’s projections, 9 out of 10 Malaysians are expected to shop online by the end of 2021.
The survey also showed 63% of Malaysians do not know what they want to buy when they browse on online shops.
Black Friday, 12.12, Christmas and New Year sales are almost upon us and online safety is important for shoppers.
Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) showed that Malaysia was the top 10 targets for malicious emails in Q3 of this year with Kaspersky blocking more than 5.6 million redirects to phising pages
The pandemic has triggered more people to embrace online shopping.
Although physical safety is essential, the safety of our finances, devices and information is also important, especially as phishing scams become more and more sophisticated and targeted.
We expect cybercriminals to continue using tricks that will lure more victims to take the bait hence this festive season, we urge everyone to put their guards up against messages, calls, and even emails asking for critical information such as account number, OTPs, passwords, and more.
Chris Connell, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky
What Kaspersky offers is some tips to keep you safe while buying yourself or your loved ones gifts for the holiday season.
- Be wary of deals that seem too good to be true, they usually are.
- Type the URL into your browser to check the deal on the website rather than clicking on links in emails.
- Look out for padlock sign or HTTPS in the address bar when paying. Keep in mind that this padlock means safety only if the website address is correct, so check twice.
- Use a credit card rather than a debit card for extra payment protection.
- Avoid saving your card details to a website.
- Protect devices used for shopping and make sure you apply patches and updates as soon as possible.
- Use a unique, complex password for each of your online accounts.
READ MORE: If You Are Using Any Of These ‘Malaysian’ Passwords, Stop It!
