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12 Tips to Safe Shopping Online

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These days, shopping online isn’t a risky, crazy or scary task, but with all of the cyber criminals out and about, you might want to think twice before clicking “submit payment.”

If you are going to be shopping online, there are some things that you can do to keep yourself safe. Here are some tips:

Tips for Avoiding Online Shopping Scams

  1. Think about this; if you were a cybercriminal, how would you lure a victim? You might put an ad on social media, for instance, sharing an amazing deal. If you see a deal that looks too good to be true, it probably is.
  2. What if you want to look at the deal? It doesn’t hurt to look, right? Wrong. Sometimes even clicking on the ad can download a virus onto your computer.
  3. Back up your computer regularly, especially before you start shopping online.
  4. You can be protected if you use security software like firewall software, antivirus software, antispyware, and antiphishing, even if you go to a malicious site.
  5. Don’t use a debit card if you can help it. If you pay with a debit card and a scammer takes your money, you might never get it back.
  6. It’s much safer to use a credit card. If you pay with a credit card, you can dispute the charge, and the credit card company will work with you and reverse the charges.
  7. Also, if you use a credit card, contact the company to find out if they have a “one-time use number” for the card. This way, if you do make a purchase to the scammer, they can’t use that number again.
  8. If you are shopping for common, everyday items, only buy them from reputable, big-name retailers. All of the URLs should have a padlock symbol next to them, and they should say “https” not “http.”
  9. If you are buying from a merchant you are not familiar with, familiarize yourself with the site’s reputation. Do some research to find out if anyone has had issues with the site in the past.
  10. Take a look at the merchant’s privacy policy and see what the limits are.
  11. Keep in mind that a merchant doesn’t need any more information than your name/address, credit card info, and shipping info. If they ask for other information, like a birthday or Social Security number, do not give it. It is probably a scam. Do not give retailers like this any information about you.
  12. Don’t shop online when you are connected to public Wi-Fi. If you don’t have a choice, you can use a VPN, virtual private network, to make sure all of your information is encrypted.

Consider identity theft protection as an additional layer to protect your identity from various scams. No one is immune from fraud or all scams, but identity theft protection services are there to watch your back and assist in case something goes wrong.

Online shopping should be a very worry-free process, but there are some things you can do, as listed above, to reduce your risk of danger. By making these practices a habit, you can stay safe now and in the future.

ROBERT SICILIANO CSP, is a #1 Best Selling Amazon author, CEO of CreditParent.com, the architect of the CSI Protection certification; a Cyber Social and Identity and Personal Protection security awareness training program.

10 Ways to Keep Yourself Safe from Shopping Scams During the Holidays

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The winter holidays are a time for friends, family, and fun…and also fraud. Here are 10 ways that you can protect yourself from shopping scams this holiday season:

Gift Card Scams

Don’t ever give anyone your credit card information to claim a gift card that you hear about via email.

Shop Smart

Online shopping? Don’t do it while connected to a public Wi-Fi connection. These are not secure, and anyone can get access to your bank account, credit card, or log in information. Instead, use a VPN or your home network.

Be Careful with Coupons

Coupons can be great deals, but if they look too good to be true, you should assume that it is

Protect Your Passwords

Make sure you change passwords regularly for all sensitive accounts. Also, make sure that you don’t repeat passwords from account to account. When you create your passwords, you should randomly make them a mixture of both upper- and lower-case letters along with symbols and numbers. Make it at least 12 characters. You can use a password manager to help you remember it.

Set Up Two Step Verification

Consider setting up two step verification. Once you log into an account, you will receive a numerical code via text, which serves as a second verification for your account. This stops people from logging into an account unless they have both your log in information and your phone.

Think Before Clicking

Don’t click on links that come into your email, even if you think it’s from someone or a company you know. Big companies like Walmart, Kohl’s, Macy’s, etc, usually do not send links like this in email, so if you see one, ignore it. Scammers create these links in the hope that you will click it. If you do click one, it may download a virus to your computer or take you to a fake site, where you might be tricked into entering your credit card information.

Keep Your Bank and Credit Card Secure

Look into the type of security measures that your bank uses, and then use them. You also might consider setting up push notifications or push alerts through your credit card company so you get an email or text message with every charge.

Employment Scams

You are likely to see ads during this time a year that advertises for jobs that pay way more than they should. $50 an hour for filling out surveys? Skip it.

Review Your Financial Health

Each month take some time to review all of your financial accounts to see if there is any activity that seems suspicious. Even a small charge can be very suspicious. Often, a scammer will make a small transaction to test things out.

HTTP vs. HTTPS

When you see an “S” at the end of the HTTP portion of the URL, it means that the site is secure. Only do shopping on sites with that “S.” Finally, make sure you update your browser before you shop.

ROBERT SICILIANO CSP, is a #1 Best Selling Amazon author, CEO of CreditParent.com, the architect of the CSI Protection certification; a Cyber Social and Identity and Personal Protection security awareness training program.

10 Ways to Prevent Holiday Shopping Scams

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The winter holidays: a time for festivities and … fraud-tivities.

Gift Card Grab

Never, ever enter your credit card or other sensitive information to claim a gift card that comes via email.

Never Buy Over Public WiFi

Shopping over public WiFi means your credit card, bank account or login data could get picked up by a cyber thief. Use a VPN.

Coupon Cautious

If a coupon deal seems too good to be true, then assume it is. End of story. Next.

Password Housekeeping

  • Change the passwords for all your sensitive accounts.
  • No two passwords should be the same.
  • Passwords should be a random salad of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols – at least 12 total.
  • A password manager can ease the hassle.

Two Step Verification

  • A login attempt will send a one-time numerical code to the user’s phone.
  • The user must type that code into the account login field to gain access.
  • Prevents unauthorized logins unless the unauthorized user has your phone AND login credentials.

Think Before You Click

  • Never click links that arrive in your in-box that supposedly linking to a reputable retailer’s site announcing a fantastic sale.
  • Kohl’s, Macy’s, Walmart and other giant retailers don’t do this. And if they do, ignore them.
  • So who does this? Scammers. They hope you’ll click the link because it’ll download a virus.
  • The other tactic is that the link will take you to a mock spoofed site of the retailer, lure you into making a purchase, and then a thief will steal your credit card data.

Bank and Credit Card Security

  • Find out what kind of security measures your bank has and then use them such as caps on charges or push notifications.
  • Consider using a virtual credit card number that allows a one-time purchase. It temporarily replaces your actual credit card number and is worthless to a thief.

Job Scams

Forget the online ad that promises $50/hour or $100 for completing a survey. If you really need money then get a real job.

Monthly Self-Exam

For financial health: Every month review all your financial statements to see if there is any suspicious activity. Even an unknown charge for $1.89 is suspicious, because sometimes, crooks make tiny purchases to gage the account holder’s suspicion index. Report these immediately.

Https vs. http

  • The “s” at the end means the site is secure.
  • Do all your shopping off of https sites.
  • In line with this, update your browser as well.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.