This article is part of the Suncorp Bank ESSI Money Family Challenge series, in partnership with the Financial Basics Foundation, an independent charity working to educate young people to better understand money and finances.

If you or your family are spending money online, chances are you’ll want to find ways to keep that money safe and secure. Scams are becoming more and more sophisticated so it’s a good time to teach your kids and family the things they need to be aware of. It all starts by taking control of your online spending.

Tips for buying online safely

You can help your family stay safe when online shopping by teaching them how to:

• Spot and use safe websites – Remind your family to always look at the URL (website address) of a website, be wary of ulta-low discounts or sales, and check spelling/grammar and imagery on the site. Teach them to explore a website a bit to go beyond the page they land on. They may discover less sophisticated webpages if the website is fraudulent.
• Recognise what accurate product information looks like – This includes ultra-low pricing that seems too good to be true, missing information about the product, poor or no images of the product, and poor customer reviews.
• Calculate total costs (including shipping or delivery, or any hidden costs) – this will help stop your family from becoming complacent when they spend online.
• Avoid impulse purchases and stick to a budget – if your kids are over 18 and are spending online, teach them to set a monthly budget for online purchases. 
   

How to avoid getting scammed online

Online shopping safety has never been more important as scammers become more sophisticated in their methods. Print off these tips and stick them next to your computer to ensure online shopping safety as a family:

• Type the URL of your trusted online shopping site into the browser.
• Be wary of clicking through to online sales via social media. These can be fraudulent websites that promise discounts or sales that seem too good to be true.
• Check the URL of a website if you have clicked through to it via any paid advertisement.
• Check your bank records regularly. Look out for any irregular withdrawals and contact your bank if you suspect you did not make a purchase.
• Reconsider storing your credit card details with an online shopping website.
• Check that your transaction is secure. A secure online transaction URL will start with ‘https’ and have a closed padlock in the address field. This indicates the transaction is encrypted against hacking.
• Be wary of any emails from both online shopping sites you don’t recognise as well as those you’ve used before. If the email comes from a brand or site you have shopped with before, compare that email address with an email you have previously received from the sender. Fraudulent emails are increasingly sophisticated, but you may still see spelling mistakes or errors in formatting.
• Avoid shopping on a public wi-fi network.
• Never use the same password for online shopping accounts as your bank account.
   

With the Suncorp Bank App, you can access your banking securely and safely as well as manage your finances, access insights and manage any insurance you have all in the one place. 
 

Get the Suncorp Bank App

Published 25 March 2022