Stay Cyber Secure While Shopping This Cyber Monday

Online shopping peaks each year on the weekend following Thanksgiving because of the massive amount of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales that are out there. While this can be a great time to buy your loved ones the items from the tops of their holiday wish lists at more wallet-friendly prices, the increased activity online on these days means that malicious actors are out there just as much as consumers. Protect yourself, your credit card information, and your sweet surprises for friends and family by following these cybersecurity tips for safe online shopping this holiday season!

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• Have a game plan – The number of companies that offer some sort of deep discount or sale this weekend can be overwhelming. It is possible to get sidetracked by ads or additional items that you may not initially have been on the hunt for but now find yourself interested in. When we get distracted while shopping online, we can find ourselves making impulsive decisions that are not as clear as they ought to be – many websites let consumers know that the item they are viewing is in so many other shoppers’ carts or that the stock of that product is getting low, causing many shoppers to panic purchase something they might not have otherwise. For this reason, it is essential to have at least a rough game plan of what you want to buy before logging on to your computer to begin shopping. Figure out who you need to shop for and a few topics that they generally would enjoy and stick to those criteria when looking for gifts. Having a plan for your shopping needs and goals is not only a measure that protects you and your information, but it can help you to stay within your comfortable budget when looking for presents as well.
• Beware suspicious or unknown sites – If a website has poor grammar, an odd layout, or something about its setup that just does not sit right with you, follow your instincts and do not shop from this site. Also, be sure to check the URL of the site you are browsing, as there are cybercriminals out there who will go to the effort of creating websites that mirror almost exactly those sites of a legitimate company in hopes of duping shoppers who are not paying as much attention to what they are clicking on as they should. The URL will likely be something close to the legitimate company’s address, but with something that is not legitimate (ex: potterybarn.net or patterybarn.com instead of potterybarn.com). If you were not paying close attention and your eyes just glanced at these addresses, you might be fooled into thinking that you are browsing the true site. Avoid this mistake by searching for the company you are looking for in Google and clicking on the actual website, not an ad or something that seems far too good to be true. For many companies, there are even articles advertising the deals they will be having this weekend, so if something seems too good to be true, you can do your research and find out that it probably is. 

• Note: For small businesses, look for the social media pages for these entities and verify the web address from there; if the small business you are looking to buy from is local to you, either opt to shop in-store or give them a call to verify their website link. It is possible to shop small and stay secure!

• Look out for fake reviews – Some of these malicious, false sites will include fake reviews in order to try to influence buyers who take the step to do their research on products and see how others liked them; it you see a pattern of undetailed, exclusively very positive reviews for items, look for another site that sells what you are looking at purchasing, as a website that includes fake reviews likely has many other problems with it as well and you should not give this company your credit card information.
• Check your address bar for the S! – If a website begins with https instead of http, it means that the company has taken care to secure your data by updating their SSL certificate to ensure your information is both encrypted and verified. This is a very important element to look for when finding websites that you will trust with your credit card number and other personal information. When online shopping this weekend, be sure to look for the s for security!
• Use your credit card, not debit – Banks offer greater protection against fraudulent activity for credit card purchases than they do debit card purchases, so opt to use your credit card while making purchases this holiday season in order to protect yourself even further!

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Image by ArthurHidden on Freepik.

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