How to go for safe online shopping

Washington, Dec 5 (ANI): With becoming a faster and easier way to buy stuff, keeping computers, identities and credit cards safe is vital.

An expert has now offered some tips to stay safe.

Karen McDowell, an information security analyst in U.Va's Information Security, Policy and Records Office, regularly makes presentations on avoiding common online hazards, such as phishing, worms and viruses, and credit card and identity theft.

Some of the things she said are advisable to do while doing online transactions are:

Delete email from unfamiliar sources.

Don't provide personal information unless you initiated the contact and know who you're dealing with.

Keep hardware and software patched and up to date to ward off viruses, worms and malware.

Beware of shortened links on social media sites... you don't know where they'll take you. (ANI)