Christmas is always big in the Philippines. Filipinos are known to enjoy the brightest of holidays, taking it as an opportunity to relax, have fun, and reconnect with loved ones. All that comes with the natural willingness to spend on themselves and others, especially with the convenience of doing their shopping online.

While it is definitely the time to bask in the holiday spirit, the Christmas shopping and giving season is also a time to be extra vigilant about online security. During this time, individuals may be more vulnerable to “holiday scams” that come in the form of special deals and vouchers, online shopping-related scams, advertisement traps, and even fake charities.

Understanding this vulnerability, Ashwin Pal, Director of Security Services for global IT company Unisys shares simple but essential reminders that will surely allow individuals to enjoy Christmas shopping and festivities without falling into the risks of cyber theft and fraud.

It may be tempting to download a bunch of apps to sift through the best shopping and travel deals. However, it is best to avoid downloading unnecessary apps, particularly those that have been sent via links or advertisements.

It is recommended to steer away from downloading apps from non-restricted third-party app stores as well. Always use legitimate stores such as App Store and Google Play. This is to reduce the risk of downloading any apps that have compromised security or worse, that may infect devices with ransomware.

While easily forgotten, it is crucial to keep apps and including browsers updated. Aside from topping up with new features, many updates are provided to address security issues. “Failure to update may give criminals with an opportunity to hack into your computer and steal data,” Pal says.

The convenience and quickness of online shopping makes it the perfect way to beat the rush, especially because traffic in the Philippines reaches its worst state during the Christmas season. Without being careful, this may also be hackers’ gateway to individuals’ personal data.

Visiting and subscribing to only legitimate websites or shopping platforms that most people know of is the first step to ensuring cybersecurity while shopping. Links to websites from random emails are best avoided.

Pal also advises individuals to always make sure they are at the correct site by looking for “https://www…” in the address bar. “Note the “s,” means the individual has a secure connection to that site. Look for the lock in the address bar,” he adds.

Learn to gauge how much identification is required. Photos of ID or credit card information are not to be shared unless one can positively validate the need for these. As an advise, Pal says that “if in doubt, do not provide the information.”

Using adequate account security is also essential. This is maintained using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication for sensitive websites such as those for online banking.