Tips for Safe Holiday and Online Shopping
The holiday season is here! Do you know what that means? Well, if you’re like me that means you excitedly searched for and dusted off the Barry Manilow holiday album that you play once a year to help spread cheer in your home, or to annoy the rest of your family.
The holiday season is also a time when millions of people will begin looking for the perfect gifts, many of which will be purchased online. Do you know who else gets pretty excited about the holiday season and the online shopping that comes with it?
Cyber criminals.
That’s right. Cyber criminals take advantage of this opportunity to swoop in and steal your information by creating fake shopping websites and other online shopping scams in hopes of stealing your information or money. In fact, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently warned that online shoppers risk losing more than $53 million during this year’s holiday season to various scams.
Don’t worry, you can still find those amazing deals without becoming a victim!
The National Cybersecurity Alliance has put together a great tip sheet with steps you can take to better secure your accounts and transactions.
National Cybersecurity Alliance — Tips for Safe Online Holiday Shopping
For additional help, check out the Online Shopping — Security Tips video below from the Federal Trade Commission.
