Comfy slippers, a warm fire, and your laptop. Online shopping has made finding that perfect gift easy and stress free. Online shopping may help you avoid the long lines and loud holiday music but it can expose you to another frustrating and time-consuming issue; Cyber risk. Protect yourself and your identity by taking extra precautions when shopping online.
- Charge it: When shopping online, stick to using a credit card instead of debit. Because your debit card is linked to your bank account, you are at a much higher risk if you do get hacked. As a bonus most credit cards offer protection against fraudulent use of your information.
- Think About The Link: Beware of those “must-have” deals that come through email and pop up on social media sites. If you are tempted to click on a link offering an amazing deal, take a deep breath and do your research on the company first. As they say, if it is too good to be true, well, you know.
- Public Enemy: Free hotspots are a lifesaver when you are out bustling around but any info you give when you are on a public network is a gift for cybercriminals. Do not log into banking information (or PayPal and similar sites) and make sure you are logged out of such sites before you pop onto a public network.
It is always a good idea to beef up your passwords too because no one wants the gift of a cyber attack this holiday.
