Keep safe online over Christmas/New Year's

Written by Robyn in General at 11:00am, Fri 17 Dec 2010

We’re all winding into the mad Christmas rush and plenty of people are searching for a great deal. Unfortunately this also includes the lowlifes of the internet - scammers and phishers – who often target this period to take advantage of people.

These nefarious characters ramp up their efforts at this time of year. We’re aware of several scam emails doing the rounds that target New Zealand businesses, including a couple that are nasty attempts to imitate our site and those of banks.

We’re keen for our members not to have their Christmas ruined by being conned out of their hard-earned cash or personal information. We work hard to keep our site safe 24x7, but it’s pretty important you also have your guard up.

First of all, remember the golden rule: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Here are a few more tips from our policing team to help you stay safe out there too:

- If you click a link in an email, make sure you check the website address you're being sent to. For Trade Me, the URL in the address bar will always start with https://www.trademe.co.nz/.
- Never, ever provide your email address, credit card or password by email.
- Never send money overseas.
- Upgrade your browser. Note that the latest versions of web browsers like Internet Explorer and Firefox include anti-phishing features.
- Don't respond to pressure. Scammers use scare tactics and urgent language to pressure you into giving confidential data.
- Be wary of strange text messages and phone calls from random people.
- If you receive any strange-looking emails purporting to be from Trade Me, please tell us ASAP by emailing abuse@trademe.co.nz.

Take care out there, and for more information please check out our safe buying advice.

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