During the holiday shopping season approaching, remember online criminals are very active this time of year. Before you participate in Black Friday deals, Cyber Monday specials, or other online holiday shopping, review the Do and Don檛s recommended by cybersecurity experts:
- Be cautious with emails, texts, and links offering coupons, shipping updates, and order details.听Expect to receive phony UPS, Amazon, and USPS messages from scammers, often involving fake shipping problems.
- Verify you are visiting legitimate websites with the exact address you know to be true: ex. amazon.com, bestbuy.com.
- Use payment methods that are more secure online, like credit cards or PayPal.
- Think critically about why you檙e getting an email. Do you even know the store or vendor offering the deal? If you檙e not sure, think twice before proceeding.
- Don檛 trust offers that seem too good to be true. Pop-up ads or emails offering free gift cards or incredible savings are often just a ploy to get your personal information that can later be used for identity theft.
- Don檛 assume all links in emails are safe. If you檙e not sure if an email is authentic, open a browser and type in the address of the store website.
- Don檛 assume that if it looks like a legitimate website, it is a legitimate website. It easy for scammers to copy logos, fonts, and formatting of websites. Check the website URL to verify it an official website such as amazon.com or bestbuy.com.
- Don檛 use debit cards or wire transfers for online payment, these typically don檛 have fraud protection.
- Don檛 act quickly when making an online purchase. Better to be cautious, than to be scammed!