With the post-Thanksgiving deals of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, be sure to keep your eye out for potential scams and fraud when shopping online.
Every year, more people decide to forgo Black Friday shopping lines and general craziness in exchange for shopping online from the comfort of their own homes. Cyber Monday is likely to result in more than $2 billion in sales this year. If you’re planning to get in on some of the deals, here are some tips to keep you safe:
- Never shop on a public wi-fi connection
- Pay with a credit card only (so criminals can’t access bank details from a debit card)
- Make sure to use a strong password for each site you shop on (don’t re-use passwords); consider a password manager to help you out
- Shop on trusted websites rather than searching for the product online and buying from an unknown retailer
- Look for signs your data is protected (https://, closed padlock, unbroken key)
- Don’t click on links from email messages from unknown sources – only click on links if you recall subscribing to a newsletter and do so with caution
- Order within your own country to be protected by consumer protection laws
- Run anti-virus and anti-spyware software and use a firewall
- Read a site’s privacy policy to understand what personal information is being requested and how it will be used
- Beware of phishing emails that cite an issue with your order; real companies would call
- Use caution clicking links on social networking sites; messages from friends may turn out to be from hackers
- Read the rest of our Online Shopping Safety Tips
Monitor your bank and credit card account to ensure you have not become a victim of fraud. Keep track of your receipts from online purchases to easily balance your statements.
Beware of deals that sound too good to be true. With these tips, you can reduce your risk of being a cybercrime victim. Happy shopping!
PS – Don’t forget our own LoJack for Laptops deal!!
Image: kurhan