Tips on how to keep yourself safe online

Image by RyanMcGuire

On the Internet, you can be whoever you want.  Usually, these impersonations are harmless like roleplaying on Twitter as your favorite characters like Superman or Batman.  However, it becomes worrying when scammers pretend to be a trusted institution like a bank to part you from your hard earned money.

To prevent that, here are four tips on how to protect yourself.

Look for the blue tick

Credits: Wikipedia

Twitter, one of the most prominent social media websites, have a feature that verifies an account of public interest is authentic.  That is if the account is really who they say they are.  Facebook also has a similar feature.
Here’s an example from Twitter and Facebook, respectively

This feature can be used to alert you to the fact that the page you’re visiting may not actually be the company they’re claiming to be.  Take this very fake P&O Cruise Facebook page.

There isn’t a blue checkmark next to the name so we know that the person behind the page doesn’t actually represent P&O Cruises.

Social media accounts belonging to large companies such as P&O Cruises or Natwest will have a blue tick next to their name.  Pages of small companies sometimes don’t have the checkmark but the company will usually have a link to their social media pages from their website.

Credits: Wikipedia

Look for the green padlock

The padlock symbolizes that the connection to the website is made over a secure connection.  Extended validation certificates, which will produce a green padlock in all major browsers, require identity checks before they are issued.

However, it’s not a sure fire way as sometimes fake competition slip through the net like this fake Cadbury competition.

Also, there had been cases where security researchers had been able to circumvent extended validations to create fake websites.

Thus, if the website doesn’t feel right, it’s always best to search for the company’s name to find their website.

Don’t click on links sent in SMS texts or email

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You may get a text proclaiming your bank account will be suspended unless you go to a website and change your password now!  DON’T CLICK ON IT!  That’s just a scammer trying to get your details or worse install malware (malicious software) on your computer.

The link could lead to a website that plants malicious software on your account.  At its tamest, the link could just be a phishing site. As the name suggests, the scammer is trying to “fish” for your details like your email, password, or other personal details that they could use to compromise your accounts.

While browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Edge try to warn you of phishing links, phishing sites might be so new that it hasn’t been added to the warning database.  Also, the site might be gone long when these browsers finally come around to warn you.

To learn more about phishing see this video:

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TRR6lHviQc

Credits: Revolution689

Google is your friend

To avoid being phished, don’t click on links in text messages or emails.  Instead, go to Google (or Bing if you’re so inclined) and search for the company’s name.  Then go to the contact us page to contact the company directly if you have concerns about your account.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftQ6A3DKKeg

With these 4 trusty tips in mind, stay safe out there and remember, Google is your friend.  If in doubt, Google it.

Fake Facebook Page and How to Avoid Them

I had recently come across a page shared by a friend on Facebook.

According to a post that is currently being shared on Facebook, twenty P&O Cruises tickets were given away by the kind general manager of P&O Cruises.  All you have to do is to share the post.

While there are other legitimate competitions run by Facebook pages, this page had alarm bells ringing. First off, the post look extremely similar to other fake Facebook posts shared around Facebooks.  So I thought I might visit the page to see whether it was legit.  When I click on the post shared I was taken to a Facebook page that looks the Facebook page for P&O Cruises.

Fake P&O Cruise Page

The page had a crappily put together banner as well as a picture of a manager giving away P&O Cruises tickets.  I highly doubt the authenticity of the page so I thought I might hit Google to check what was the real Facebook page for the cruise.

Lo and behold, that wasn't the real Facebook page.  

Real P&O Cruise page

As shown in the screenshot above, the real P&O Page had a blue checkmark verification icon to prove its authenticity.  There was no mention of any giveaways.

Also, according to Hoax Slayer the golden envelopes picture featured in the scam post was apparently stolen from a February 2016 Los Angeles Times report about the making of the Oscars envelopes.

The nail in the coffin is that P&O Cruise Twitter had confirmed that the page indeed was fake.

Hi Thu, many thanks for feeding this back to us. We believe we have been speaking to you about this, but rest assured, we have reported this page and recommend anyone else does the same also. Cease all contact with the page also if you can, we hope this helps! :)

— P&O Cruises (@pandocruises) August 25, 2018

What's alarming is that over 7,900 had reacted to the post and over 16,000 people had shared the post.

So in summary, Facebook pages belonging to large companies have a blue checkmark next to their name.

Closeup of the verification checkmark

Also, if a post looks fishy, try searching on Google to find the real page for that company.  Remember Google is your friend.  If in doubt always Google it (you can also Bing it if you so incline).

PS please share this blog post to your friends so they won't fall for this or similar scams!  You can also donate to me with PayPal and help support an aerospace engineering student!

Tips to safely buy items online

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Online shopping can be fun.  Browsing the web for the item you want and having it turn up to your doors in a few days has a certain buzz to it.  However, we are all too familiar with tales about how people have been ripped off by some unscrupulous buyer or have mysterious charges appearing on their credit card. Follow these tips to keep yourself safe when buying online

Tip 1: Know your rights

Source https://pixabay.com/en/internet-laptop-computer-notebook-1028794/

The UK has many rules and laws that protect consumers from being unfairly ripped off by retailers.

Returning items that are not faulty

In the UK, under the Consumer Rights Act, if the item was bought online, over the phone, or by mail order, you have 14 calendar days after receiving the item to return it back to the seller for a full refund.  You get a further 14 days after you make the notice to actually send the item back to the seller.


The item doesn’t even need to be faulty.  You can change your mind at any time and you have the right to return the item up to 14 days after you received the item.  So don’t be duped by the online retailer.


Depending on the retailer, you may have to send the item back at your own cost but you have to be refunded the basic delivery cost of getting the goods to you in the first place.  If you have opted for an enhanced delivery to get the goods faster to you, such as next day delivery, the seller only has to legally refund you the delivery cost of the basic delivery option.  If you purchased using PayPal you will be able to claim return postage.  See https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/refunded-returns for more details. However, the seller is not legally permitted to charge any stocking charges or withhold the delivery cost you paid.

There are exceptions to the 14 days return policy, however.  DVDs, music, and computer software may be refused return by many retailers if the seal or packaging has been broken.  In addition, you can’t return perishable items or items made to order i.e. that has been personalized by the seller.  Despite these exceptions, it never hurts to complain to the retailer if you’re not happy with the item you received.  More often than not, the retailers will often work with you to come up with a satisfiable solution.

Returning faulty items

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If the item is faulty, you will have 30 days after you received the item to return it for a full refund.  For faulty items, sellers are legally obligated to provide return postage. If the seller refuses or stops responding, consider filing a chargeback using your credit card or debit card company.  Please see https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/visa-mastercard-chargeback/ for full details about chargebacks.


In addition, if you bought the item using PayPal, file "an item not received as described (INAD)" case with them.  PayPal gives you 90 days after purchase to open up the case.  And don’t take no for an answer.  If the seller continues to refuse, escalate the case and typically PayPal will side with the consumer and allow the item to be returned.  With PayPal, you will have to return the postage at your own cost and claim it back from PayPal.  See https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/refunded-returns.


Private sellers are exempt from the consumer law, but if you’re buying from eBay, you will be protected by eBay’s money-back guarantee which states that the received item significantly different than what is described can be returned back to the seller for a refund.  You have 30 days after you received the item to do that.  With eBay, the seller has to provide return postage for faulty items, so if the seller refuses to do so, escalate the case to eBay.  See https://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/buy/return-item.html#process for more details.

Tip 2: Purchase using PayPal or other third-party payment websites like Amazon Pay

Photo by bruce mars from Pexels

When purchasing items online, consider paying through PayPal for enhanced protection.  All items bought through PayPal is protected by PayPal’s buyer protection.  This protection is independent of any policy said by the retailer.  

I once bought a laptop from Newegg. The laptop developed a fault 2 months after I had purchased it.  I contacted Newegg first for the return but they refused, saying that they only protect items from the Newegg marketplace for only 30 days.  The manufacturer also refused since the item is a US imported product. Therefore, I raised a case with PayPal.  I had to escalate the case to PayPal, and PayPal sided with me and allowed the item to be returned back to Newegg.  I got a full refund for the laptop.

Another benefit of paying through PayPal or Amazon Pay is that the retailer will not get the details of your credit card.

Credit: Public Domain Pictures

Tip 3: Look closely at the item description and title

Unscrupulous buyers sometimes try to trick customers by selling the item’s empty box or a photograph of the item.  According to the Dailymail, one buyer was scammed out of £450 from a posting that says "XBox One Fifa Day One Edition, Photo Brand New UK 2012.”   He had received a refund for the item, but it’s a bit time consuming to go through eBay’s resolution process to get the money back.

The trader has to refund the basic delivery cost of getting the goods to you in the first place, so if you opted for enhanced service eg guaranteed next day, it only has to refund the basic cost.

Photo by Braydon Anderson on Unsplash

Tip 4: If the price too low, it's probably too good to be true

If items are being sold at a significant reduction it is often an indication that the item might be a counterfeit or something is wrong with the item.



In summary, when purchasing online, make sure to know your rights and try to purchase through a trusted payment website like PayPal.  In addition, look closely at item descriptions and item prices.  If the items are priced too low, they are often too good to be true.

If you keep these four things in mind, you will reduce the chance of being ripped off by purchasing online.

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