Cyber Monday is fast approaching and along with it comes the minefield of potential scammers and identity thieves.

If you’re planning on making big ticket item purchases on this day here’s our guide on how to keep your details safe and ensure that your purchases are legitimate:

1. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is

You’ve probably been looking at that one big ticket purchase for a while now, talking to friends about recommendations and trawling websites to find the right deal for you. Scammers take advantage and you could be seeing prices that are much lower than you expect. If you think it’s too good to be true then check out the reviews, check the security status of the website and avoid going through emailed links; go directly through the vendor’s site.

2. Check the security status of the website

If the website doesn’t have https:// or the safe icon next / in the URL address, you are at greater risk of your information being susceptible to hacking.

3. Avoid Pop-Up Ads

Pop-up ads are annoying to say the least. If the deal looks like something that’s of interest, then go directly to the vendor site as the pop-up could be bogus. This leaves you open to identity theft or receiving sub-standard products.

4. Social Media Scams

Be careful of offers that are made to you on Social Media platforms during any holiday period, especially if they are too good to be true.

5. Share as little information as possible

Websites need information from you for your purchases but be wary of anything that looks unusual, if you feel unsure about sharing the information then don’t.

6. Go In-store first, if possible

Many stores in the UK offer the same deals in-store as online so if you can, go into the store first to check the deals and products. If a deal is specifically online, you can still go and look at the items to check they are what they seem to be.

We recommend being suspicious of anything that looks too good, that seems a little ‘off’ or just doesn’t ring quite true. If you follow simple security steps, you should have a very successful shopping experience on Cyber Monday and whenever you make any online purchases.