The holidays are a time for family, friends, and of course, shopping. While online shopping is convenient, it’s important to be aware of the risks involved in order to protect your sensitive information. Here are a few tips to help you stay safe while shopping online this holiday season.
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Public Wi-Fi
1. Don’t use public Wi-Fi networks to shop online. Public Wi-Fi networks are not secure, which means that others can see what you’re doing and access your sensitive information on your laptop, iPhone or tablet. If you must use public Wi-Fi, make sure you’re using a VPN (virtual private network) to encrypt your data. I have a VPN on my cellphone and laptop.
Passwords
2. Create strong passwords and don’t use the same password for all of your accounts. Strong passwords are at least 8 characters long and contain a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Creating different passwords for each of your accounts helps to keep your information safe in the event that one of your accounts is compromised.
Website URL
3. Look for the padlock icon in your browser’s address bar before entering any sensitive information on a website. This padlock icon indicates that the site is using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption, which helps to protect your information as it’s being transmitted from your computer to the website’s server.
Text Scams
4. Be aware of text scams during the holiday season. Many scammers will pose as reputable businesses in order to get your personal or financial information. Don’t click on links or attachments in text messages from people you don’t know, and be cautious of texts and that contain spelling or grammatical errors. If you’re unsure whether an email or text is legitimate, contact the company directly using a phone number, email address or website that you know to be real.
Credit Card/Bank Statements
5. Keep an eye on your credit card statements and bank account activity during and after the holiday season for any suspicious charges or withdrawals. immediately report any unauthorized activity to your bank or credit card company so they can take appropriate action.
Software Updates
6. Keep all software on your devices up-to-date, including security software, operating systems, and browsers . cybercriminals can exploit outdated software to gain access to your sensitive information, so it’s important to keep everything updated in order to maintain optimal security.
The Right Thing To Do
7. When in doubt, throw it out! If you receive any suspicious communications during the holiday season—whether it’s an email, mail, text message, social media message, or even a call—do not respond and do not click on any links or attachments included in the message. Report the scam to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). It could save one of your friends, grandparents, parents or children from being scammed.
One last thing…
The holidays are a time for family, friends—not to mention cybercriminals are in overdrive during the holidays! Avoid text scams by deleting the email or text and don’t open them. By following these simple tips, you can help keep your sensitive information safe while shopping online this holiday season . Questions about keeping your personal information safe? Get in touch😊
Happy Holidays🎉
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I hope you found this information helpful!
Any recommendations I make should be taken into consideration with your values and goals. You should make the best decision that aligns with your family’s values.
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