Today marks the end of a fun-filled four days, when Americans as well as global consumers will have taken advantage of some great retail deals to mark the holiday season. From Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday today, The Practice team have been keeping an eye out for great online offers, and taking a closer look at how security and technological measures have stepped up in tandem with the increase in web-based retail.

We’ve noticed that with increased online expenditure- (sales were reportedly up 15% on last year’s figures), has come an increase in the way technology is facilitating and protecting our transactions, as well as e-commerce businesses themselves. Firstly, we’ve discovered a host of new apps and companies that are helping to protect us as our love of online spending increases. BillGuard, for example, is a newly launched app that links up to a user’s bank account or card to show lists of all transactions. While it sounds simple, BillGuard’s unique feature is that it can help the user identify any unaccounted for charges. The app is also building a growing database disclosing the merchants which customers trust the most- useful for both consumers and payment providers. For business security, there are also companies, such as Ireland-based firm, Trustev, which tracks online shoppers from the moment they land on certain retail sites. By identifying individual computers, Trustev can keep tabs on those which have a history of fraudulent transactions, helping to prevent future suspicious purchases. Similarly, Silicon Valley-based firm, Signifyd, teams up with online shopping sites and payment processers to check public records, and even a customer’s Facebook and Twitter feeds to identify any potential suspicious behaviour or purchasing trends.

It appears to be increasingly crucial for companies and apps such as these to keep a close watch on consumer activity, particularly as more and more people rely on their phones and tablets to make purchases. Mobile is one of the most easily targeted mediums for fraud, with 52% of such purchases coming from Android phones, and 24% from iPhones. iPads also accounted for 14% of fraudulent purchases. With consumers often unwisely using a public Wi-Fi connection when out and about to conduct transactions, it’s no wonder this can lead to hacking and identity theft. Luckily, it’s becoming easier for thieves to be caught out, thanks to companies such as British-based ValidSoft, which specialises in matching up a transaction’s IP address location with the location of the cardholder’s mobile phone. If the company notices a match, it’s likely that the transaction is legitimate, whereas a disparity in data could signal potential fraud.

So what can we try to do to avoid being victims? Firstly, as we mentioned above, it’s important to use a secure protection at all times- that means a private WiFi connection from your home as opposed to public. Secondly, protecting yourself with strong passwords is essential, and when logged on, it’s essential to ensure your site is secure before providing personal payment data. Email links to online goods should also be generally avoided, as it’s safer to purchase a product directly through a site you know and trust. The same goes for pop-up ads and entering dubious sites. Aside from a little common sense, it’s also highly useful to have anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed, and even browser extensions and security apps for extra protection. Finally, it’s just about making informed and careful decisions such as shopping at sites you know and trust, and checking your accounts frequently for anything suspicious. With the right settings in place, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t all now indulge in the best of what Cyber Monday has to offer…Let’s start shopping!

Did you get your hands on some great online deals throughout the Thanksgiving weekend? And do you enjoy surfing the web for your purchases, or do you prefer the offline shopping experience? Please share your comments with us on Twitter @PracticeDigital and on our Facebook page.