According to a recent market research report, 67% of consumers say they plan to do at least 40% of their shopping online. The holidays can be frantic finding that perfect gift for everyone on your list, but there's no reason to let your guard down.
Follow these easy tips for shopping safely online:
- Your first defense against identity theft and fraud is to pay close attention to your financials, including bank and credit card statements. Check your online accounts every few days during the holiday season. Be sure to flag any suspicious activity (like being charged for a purchase you didn’t make) and contact the institution immediately.
- Have a general sense of what products you’re purchasing should cost. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. You might spend less on the product in these instances, but you could get an item that doesn’t match the description, is counterfeit, or never get the item at all. Do your research!
- Do not use public Wi-Fi when purchasing products online. If you must buy a few gifts online while away from your home network, use a VPN (virtual private network) or mobile hotspot.
And lastly, make a cybersecurity list and check it twice.
- Protect each of your accounts with a unique, complex password that is at least 12 characters long.
- Use multifactor authentication (MFA) on each account.
- Turn on automatic software updates, or install updates as soon as they are available.
- Know how to identify and avoid phishing attempts.