Shop and surf online safely and securely

Child with a tablet

Shop and surf online safely and securely

Quickly check the weather, order socks online or stream a movie – the internet makes our lives easier. But what is often forgotten day to day: Private individuals can also fall victim to hackers, be defrauded during online shopping or robbed via the internet. For example, there are currently fraudsters active who have created fake login pages purportedly from banks.

Zurich has therefore created two new insurance products for safe online surfing and shopping: Seven questions and answers on the subject.

Which threats am I subjected to as a private individual on the internet?

Private individual as well as companies can fall victim to hacking attacks or viruses if, for example, they click on an attachment in a legitimate looking phishing email or download a game or program from a harmless looking website. Computer viruses can incapacitate your computer, all your files, photos and documents can be lost or the hackers can even gain access to your personal information such as passwords and credit card details.

What can happen to me while shopping online?

Unfortunately there are a few things that can go wrong when shopping online – perhaps you want to purchase a new TV on the internet but a microwave arrives at your door instead. Maybe a delivery arrived damaged or nothing was delivered to you at all. Equally unpleasant is when you book your dream villa in the sun online only to find a derelict hut at the edge of the motorway once you arrive at your destination. Even worse is the following scenario: A hacker has gained access to your e-banking access details and emptied your bank account.

We are a family of five – does the contract apply just for me or to all of our family members?

Both cyber insurance products cover everyone in the same household. It does not matter at all if you yourself manage to load the virus via an email, your son manages to download the wrong game while gaming or your daughter clicks on a dubious advertising banner in social media – all persons and all devices in your household are covered. Furthermore, the insurance cover does not just apply for families or couples but also for apartment sharing communities.

What can I do to reduce my hacking risk?

Be vigilant and careful: Do not open any attachments in emails from unknown senders, do not click on dubious banners and be extremely cautious if downloading programs. Think carefully about password security – replace letters with numbers and use special characters: With "2ür1ch!?!" instead of "Zürich123" you will make it considerably more difficult for hackers to succeed. Make regular backups of important data and take the storage medium away from the internet, e.g. use a USB stick or an external hard drive. But regardless of how careful you are: A residual risk can never be entirely eliminated.

Surf and shop online securely

With the new cyber insurance for private customers you can move around the internet securely: 

  • The insurance "Zurich Cyber Safe Surf" offers you protection from hacking attacks for less than CHF 40 per year. It will pay for the removal of the damaging software, the reconfiguration of your computer and the restoration of your data from a backup. Costs of up to CHF 3,000 will be covered.
  • With the insurance "Zurich Cyber Shop & Pay" you can ensure you are covered for online shopping and e-banking. It will be activated in the event of fraud connected with online holiday bookings, if goods ordered online arrive incorrect, damaged or do not arrive at all or if money is stolen from you via your online banking access. You can be flexible when choosing the sum insured – from CHF 10,000 to 50,000.

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