Cyber Monday is Here

Cyber Monday is expected to set new online records with a 17.5% increase from last year or $7.7 billion in sales.   If you are one of the millions shopping online, here are some safety tips to follow:

• Shop from a secure computer since phones and computers can be compromised – use antivirus software and keep your operating system and internet-facing apps up to the latest version
• Shop using a secure connection – make sure the urls you are using are HTTPS which assists in keeping you safe.
• Search for deals on retailers sites, not on search engines – rather than use a browser to find your favorite stores, go directly to them.
• Use trusted vendors – you can be redirected to fakes and open to scammers
• Don’t fall for “too-good-to-be-true deals – you might get these offers from emails, text messages, pop browsers and social media (especially social media)
• Plan ahead and don’t be rushed – one tip to follow is to look for an extra “.cc” at the end of a url attached to a trusted website.  Again, go directly to the vendor.
• Review credit-card and bank statements regularly during the shopping session – we can’t guarantee that a transaction doesn’t match your purchase.  If you see a discrepancy, contact your bank or card issuer
• Don’t use debit cards online – use a credit card.  If using a debit card, use the prepaid kind with a set spending limit.
• Use unique passwords and logon information for every site you visit – use different passwords on different sites – why if a hacker gets your password, it can be used on other websites.
• If you’re shopping from a tablet or smartphone on Cyber Monday, use a trusted vendor’s app, not a web browser – since browsers don’t show the url of a vendor, make sure you go directly to the vendor.
• Never install software on your mobile device from a website link or code – always use “official” store such as Apple’s iTunes App Store or Google Play store.

Follow these tips and have a safe Cyber Monday.

Source: Tom’s Guide