Due to supply and demand, many people are getting their Christmas shopping done early; and a lot of those purchases will be made online since stores have limited stock this year. While this is nothing new, there has been a drastic increase in cyber threats which makes internet shopping quite dangerous – just look at the recent news about Neiman Marcus getting hacked. 4.6 million customers of theirs had payment information and contact details accessed by cyber criminals.
If you plan on getting your shopping done online, then here are 4 important online shopping tips to keep you safe.
#1: Do your research
There are so many e-commerce sites on the web these days. Some are legitimate while others…not so much. Make sure to read reviews and Google them before making your purchase.
#2: Avoid social media scams
Cyber criminals have gotten even more creative by impersonating legitimate businesses on Facebook and other social media platforms. They run ads using a well-known logo and a similar name (but with some grammatical errors) to trick unsuspecting victims into making a purchase through PayPal or other payment sites.
#3: Make sure the website is secure
Before you enter your credit card information on any website, check the URL. If it starts with “https”, then chances are you’re pretty safe. However, if it’s missing an “s”, then you should think twice before giving out those credit card digits as your connection may not be entirely secure.
#4: Create strong passwords
Trust us when we say, you do not want someone logging into your Amazon account and buying all kinds of random things on your credit card. Instead, keep all of your accounts secured with password best practices like NEVER using the same password twice or not changing them every ninety days.
We hope these tips will help you stay safe while shopping online. If you have any questions on cybersecurity, please contact us.
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Resources:
5 Ways to Keep Your Information Off the Dark Web
4 Foolproof Safety Tips for Online Holiday Shopping
Contact:
Phone: (704) 658-1707
Fax: (704) 658-9876
Email: Info@biztechnologysolutions.com