Holiday Shopping Online—An Identity Thief's Favorite Time of Year
For most of us, the holiday season is one of joy, family, and happiness. These warm feelings coupled with crazy store lines and time constraints can create a distraction and sense of urgency while shopping online. Hackers know this is the best time of the year to capture personal information, and use it. In the commotion of the holiday season, it’s also easy to overlook the extra charges on your cards. You can even have your identity stolen and can lose much more than a few hundred or even few thousand dollars. So before you enter your information into a website we ask that you follow a few guidelines.
1. When you receive emails from websites with sale information, coupons, etc., do not click on the link in the email as this could lead you to a phishing site, instead type in the web address into your browser and write down any coupon codes from the email so you can redeem them if they are in fact valid.
2. Only buy items from reputable websites. If you find a great deal but have never heard of the seller before don’t be afraid to search the internet for reviews and check the validity of the website. This step may take a few minutes but can save you a few months or more of hassle if your identity gets stolen.
3. Look for “https://” in the address bar before entering any personal information.
4. Look for a little yellow lock (like the one in the picture to the left) somewhere on the bottom of your browser, this means the website is secure.
Enjoy shopping safely this holiday season!
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