As one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year approaches, cybercriminals are poised to take advantage of the opportunity to scam a large number of people. 

The amount of money spent during this period is upwards of 1 billion and is on the rise every year. 
There are several ways that you can become a victim of fraud this weekend so here are some things to look out for;

1) Only use secure sites

Before entering any personal information such as bank details check the sites address bar has a padlock symbol, and an 's' before or after the 'https://' or 'shttp://'. This means the site has a genuine security certificate, without this the site is insecure and is easy for hackers to read any information entered on it. There are some recorded instances of fake sites having an SSL so we advise that you look for extra evidence that the site is secure, this padlock and https are just two things to consider. 

2) Emails

Emails that look to good to be true, probably are. Phishing emails can infect your device and steal your data from one click, therefore it is best to avoid any emails or links which look suspicious or that you don't recognise. 

3) Public Wi-Fi 

If you have the data allowance or can wait till you get home, avoid using public Wi-Fi. This is because public Wi-Fi is not secure and allows fraudsters direct access to any devices on its network. This means that if you enter passwords, financial information or any other personal information then it can be stolen. 

4) Anti-Virus 

Make sure you are running your device, apps and security software on the latest version.  This will ensure cybercriminals can't get through outdated and older systems, and anti-virus will help detect threats.