Tag Archive for: Shopping

Here are 7 back-to-school shopping tips you need to know

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The coronavirus pandemic's effect has extended to the back-to-school shopping season, the second most important period for retailers behind the holidays.

Seems too soon but, school will be starting for thousands of students. While signaling the end of summer it also signals the start of back-to-school scams. Recently, in a news release the Better Business Bureau warned that, “Parents should be on the lookout for back-to-school scams this year because of inflation and product shortages.”

Parents are certainly going to turn to online shopping, and con artists will come up with new angles to take advantage of the mad rush for high-demand products. Scammers will target shoppers with phony deals, enticing ads, and attractive, but fake, websites.

Using figures from National Retail Federation as a gauge, shoppers are expected to spend an average of $864 per family. Spending for families with college-age students is pegged at $1,199. Overall family spending will top $37 billion dollars while college students’ families will spend more than $70 billion. For scammers those numbers are too big to ignore.

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A new crop of shopping tools aims to help consumers beat the supply chain crunch

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“I’ve never been a gambler, but I can absolutely say there’s a thrill to getting something that you know seconds later will be gone,” he said. “It’s almost indescribable. It’s the opposite of FOMO [the fear of missing out]. There’s a huge dose of serotonin the second you get that ‘order completed’ screen.”

Where people once fought over luxuries like concert tickets and Supreme drops, now they’re fighting for household essentials and medical supplies. The grayed-out “purchase” button on websites everywhere is emblematic of a consumer era when virtually everything is at our fingertips, but also perpetually just out of reach.

In response, a small but dedicated community of programmers, journalists and social media content creators has sprung up to announce whenever a retailer such as Amazon or Walmart have restocked, or “dropped,” more product. Over the course of the pandemic, these stock hunters have devised ever more sophisticated methods for learning about impending drops earlier and earlier — and for notifying what has become a loyal following numbering in the hundreds of thousands for some accounts.

Demand for their services is so high, some have transformed stock-hunting into a full-time job, earning a bit of cash every time a user clicks an alert or pays for a subscription feature. Every in-stock notification acts as a dinner bell ringing across the internet, prompting a mad scramble as shoppers try to shave precious seconds off their efforts to secure a Covid test, a game console or a popular children’s toy. For many, it’s even become its own form of entertainment.

“Just getting the gaming console is kind of a game in itself,” said Marc Holgate, founder of the tracking app HotStock.io.

As long as supplies remain tight, the incentive for shoppers to turn to these tools will continue to grow. And the more people flock to these tools, the harder it may become for other shoppers to avoid using them for fear of missing out on an important shopping advantage.

The rise of professional stock hunters

What many widely followed stock hunters have in common is that they began as ordinary consumers themselves, looking for a coveted item.

Matt Swider, a New York-based technology…

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How to stay confident when shopping online this Christmas – Back End News

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According to a recent survey conducted by Kaspersky, Filipinos are the top new e-cash adopters in the Asia Pacific region at 37% followed by India (23%) and Australia (15%). Survey respondents from the region said they have used digital payments primarily because of the convenience it offers.

The pandemic has ushered in an extraordinary online shopping experience where window-shopping (checking out products), comparing prices before buying, and having the goods delivered right on the customer’s doorstep can all be done at home anytime with just one click.

“The pandemic has triggered more people to embrace online shopping,” said Chris Connell, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky. “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.”

Kaspersky develops cybersecurity policy for bionic devices
Kaspersky sees more attacks on financial systems, cryptocurrency industry in 2022

Unfortunately, this rise in digital adoption is where cybercriminals are directing their efforts to. The recently reported sim-swap incident worth almost P2 million in just one attempt is an example.

Sim-swap is a scam used to intercept online banking SMS verification codes. To get hold of one-time passwords for financial transactions, cybercriminals create or fraudulently obtain a copy of the victim’s SIM card from the mobile operator. It’s no surprise that a third of the survey respondents (31%) in APAC admitted being concerned about losing money when it comes to making online transactions.

Here are some practical tips from Kaspersky for online shopping:

  • Stick to familiar brands you know or have heard of.
  • If you’re checking out a new brand, research it carefully and get its contact details like email, phone number, or address. Also, look for its…

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‘Use separate credit card for online shopping, transactions’

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Yeo Siang Tiong

KUCHING: Aside from having a security solution that can catch your accidental slips, it is also essential to revisit the card that you are using for online shopping as it will shape the possible losses a malicious link can inflict on your wallet, Kaspersky advises.

According to Kaspersky’s Southeast Asia general manager Yeo Siang Tiong, a credit card is not necessarily more secured than a debit card but disputes are easier to settle if a malicious transaction involves your credit card.

“Banks have insurance schemes and grace periods which allow you to alert them should you monitor a suspicious transaction, so be sure to keep an eye on your card’s balance and recent transactions list and to turn on transaction notifications,” Yeo said.

“With debit, the money loss will be pulled directly from your account. Meaning, it is your own money you are losing.

“And getting it back usually takes longer as compared with credit card – which you just don’t need to pay until the bank’s investigation is done.”

In addition, Yeo revealed that he is a believer of the additional security layer provided by a separate card which is meant only for spending online.

“In case of it being compromised, you can easily cut the card without affecting your main bank accounts.

“Just be sure that if you see anything suspicious, contact your bank immediately and try to cancel the transaction – the faster you do it, the better.”

He said that the same principle applies to having a dedicated e-mail for your online spending needs which severely limit the amount of spam messages you receive and significantly reduce the risk of opening potentially malicious e-mails disguised as sales promotions.

“It is also best to use a credit card with low limit, or you may also set the limit lower according to your spending pattern.

“This is to ensure that cybercriminals, in case they get their hands on it, can only use a limited amount, in turn not inflicting huge monetary impact on you.”

Yeo noted that though it will be easier if your card details are saved across all e-commerce platforms you’re using, data breaches should be enough to warn us about keeping our financial data more…

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