Like many of you, I will be doing a lot of my holiday shopping online this year due to COVID. Don’t get me wrong, I will still be doing some shopping in the stores but I’ll do my best to do as much as I can through online shopping. I love giving gifts, but my wallet – not so much. We all do the best we can to stay safe while shopping online, but I feel like the hackers are getting smarter and smarter every year! With many people working form home, more people are exposed to hackers on unsecure WiFi. I have been subject to hacking during the holiday season, and it was not fun. I was constantly checking my online bank accounts, and stressed out wondering when my new card was coming in the mail. Don’t be like past me, do your research and find ways to protect your bank accounts from hackers and scammers. The last thing we need from 2020 is a surge of bank account hacks and identity theft!
Here are some cyber-security tips to remember this holiday season while doing your online shopping:
When shopping online use credit cards or payment services like PayPal. Credit cards offer more protection and less liability if something were to happen. A debit card is directly linked to your bank account, which can be an easy steal for a hacker. Your credit card company will be quick to reverse a charge and conduct an investigation. Banks may take a couple of business days and freeze your bank account. I personally have Discover and they were able to reverse a fraudulent charge within 2 hours of me reporting it! I was amazed at their customer service and speed.
Before checking out, check to make sure that the webpage is ‘secure’. Look for the ‘https’ at the beginning of the URL, or for the lock icon in your URL block. All legitimate shopping sites will have the ‘s’ at the end to ensure that it has a SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption. Do your research on the websites that you shop on. Is the store legitimate? Do they have reviews? Where are a majority of their customers located? Do they have a good history with shipping in the past? What is their online presence like? If you have a bad feeling about it, don’t shop there.
Be aware of email phishing scams. PSA: You will not win the new PS5 by clicking the link that your friend sent you. The holidays seems to give people foggy vision when it comes to scams. Don’t even click on the link from YouTube of your little cousin’s Winter recital. If your “bank” sends you an email to confirm personal information, call your bank instead. A representative will be able to confirm or deny this claim. These scammers will play with every emotion you have in order for you to click on their malicious link and get your information. Look at the sender’s email before clicking any links. If you are unsure, check with your friend/family member who sent you the email or link and see if they actually sent it to you. The last thing you want is a data breach on your computer.
Never online shop or access banking sites on a public network. Free hotspots may sound like a sweet deal, but they aren’t secure. Next time you think about connecting to the Starbucks WiFi to do some online shopping, think twice! As available as that connection is to you, it is available to hundreds of other people. Even if you have your own hotspot in a public place, people are quick to watch you enter passwords and your account information. Be cautious of your surroundings when accessing this data on your mobile devices as well.
Check your bank statements/e-Banking apps frequently. The best way to check that your accounts haven’t been hacked is to constantly check your accounts. It’s better to catch the thief before they spend hundreds of dollars at multiple locations. Although the Fair Credit Billing Act ensures only $50 of responsibility in unauthorized credit card charges, it would be better to not pay anything at all.
Don’t give too much information to the website. Be aware of the information you choose to give to the seller. Give as little personal data as possible for your purchase. Some websites will save your information automatically, but it is best to delete the information after the transaction has been completed. The seller will never need to know your Social Security Number or birthdate.
*However, if you are making an account with the seller they may ask for your birthdate to give you a gift on your birthday.
Be smart about the links that you click! This ties back in to the email phishing too. If you see a deal that’s too good to be true on pop-up ad, go directly to the site to see if it’s true instead of clicking the image. It’s better to be safe and do the extra steps, than to fight a computer virus during the holidays
I hope this guide helps you and your loved ones be safe this holiday season. Please feel free to share. Happy shopping!
Sources:
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/14-tips-for-safe-online-shopping
https://staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/online-safety-basics/online-shopping/
https://www.safewise.com/blog/10-cybersecurity-tips-for-online-shopping/
Leave a Reply