’Tis The Season - For Cyber Attacks
The day after Thanksgiving is when the internet world goes into hyperdrive. Everyone is shopping in their pajamas, sipping their egg nog, and throwing credit card numbers to the wind, without a care in the world. Little Johnny’s Nintendo DS is set out to be delivered in plenty of time before Santa arrives. We don’t like to scare you, that was last month on Halloween...BUT - we do have some tips on how to stay protected.
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Try to shop on sites that you know are reliable and safe. Amazon is a great one. Taking that a step further, when searching for a product on Amazon, look for “Amazon’s Choice”. This means many buyers have purchased this item and written reviews about how satisfied they were. Homework done for you.
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Passwords: Make sure they are unique and complicated. Just make sure you don’t forget them - write them down and put in a drawer if you have to. The more complicated the better!
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Try not to use your debit card for online shopping. Use a credit card instead. Credit cards offer more protection in case there is a dispute.
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Be sure you are on a safe wifi connection. You may think the local Starbucks is safe, but sometimes it’s not. Try to stay out of the public wifi while online shopping or banking.
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Be sure your antivirus software is up to date. Ensure all updates are completed as to be one step ahead of the cyber attackers. They are always looking for new ways to get your info.
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Do not click on any pop ups or download anything from your shopping website. There should never be a need for this in order to purchase a product.
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And if you do make a purchase, always check out the email address of the shipping carrier in your confirmed email. Example: Fed Ex sends you a confirmation notification of your package. You look at the email address and it says the email came from tracking@zfedex.com There is no “Z” in fedex. That is a huge red flag.
Keep these easy tips in mind and you are one step ahead of those cyber criminals. Happy shopping!
Blog written by Maria Berra 11/21/19