9 Urgent Security Tips for Online Holiday Shopping

As the holiday shopping season picks up, scammers are looking for ways to trick people who buy and sell online. Stay alert and protect yourself during this festive time.

As more people shop online during the holidays, remember to think about your cybersecurity. Simple steps now can help you avoid financial or privacy issues later. Taking time to protect yourself is important.

With the holiday season here, make sure your online shopping is safe and secure.

Don’t let your new gadgets come with unwanted surprises.

Make sure your computer, tablet, and smartphone have the latest software updates. Spending a few minutes now can help keep your devices safe in the future.

Before you start your holiday shopping, check that your devices are updated and secure. Installing updates can help protect you from hackers who look for weak spots in your software.

Be careful when clicking links in emails because they might not be safe.

With the holidays comes an uptick in phishing scams. A simple click of a link from an email may seem harmless, but it could download malware without you even realizing! It’s better to be safe than sorry and type amazon.com into your browser directly instead if possible.

Shopping online is more secure when you visit a website directly! To save time and improve safety, store your favorite stores as bookmarks in your browser. That way, there’s no need to worry about the danger of clicking links from emails or messages.

Try using a wallet app to keep your payments organized and secure.

Be extra careful when entering your payment details online this holiday season. Shopping on unfamiliar websites can make you more vulnerable to fraud and financial loss.

Say goodbye to the days of handing out your payment card details and receiving a fraudulent statement in return! Now you can securely buy with ease using wallet apps such as Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal – saving merchants from ever seeing those sensitive digits.

Protect your financial information.

Shopping online can be convenient and efficient, but it also comes with potential risks. Many websites—including Amazon—save your payment card details automatically, making future purchases easy to do quickly; however, this could put you in danger if a hacker were able to get access to your device or account. By taking the proper steps to protect yourself from cybercriminals, you not only ensure more secure shopping experiences but also protect valuable financial information.

Online shopping is convenient, but it has risks. Data breaches can expose your personal and payment information. To stay safe, limit the number of places that store your sensitive data. This helps protect you from cybercrime.

After you’ve made your purchase, don’t forget to take care of the essentials – go into your account settings and remove that payment card! It’s an important step for security purposes.

Make sure the website uses HTTPS, with an emphasis on the 'S' for security.

Gone are the days of using HTTP when searching online – now, HTTPS is the new normal! This secure protocol encrypts any data sent through its browser to protect important information like names, addresses and payment methods. Peace of mind has never been easier or more accessible on the web!

Shopping online can be risky, so always check that the website is secure. Look for HTTPS in the address bar and a lock icon before entering your credit card details.

Double-check website addresses to avoid issues.

From time to time, all of us have been guilty of a typo; especially while on the go and typing away at our smartphone screens. That one tiny mistake can be costly though, as it could lead you into clicking through a duplicate website – like Amazon(dot)com!

Cyber thieves use typo squatting by buying domains that look like popular retailers and making fake sites. If you enter the wrong web address, you might think you’re on a trusted site but actually land on a scam site.

Take a few extra seconds to make sure you’re shopping on the correct website. Double-checking now can help you avoid losing money later.

Be careful when using public Wi-Fi for online shopping.

This holiday season, be aware that hackers may be watching on public Wi-Fi networks. Staying safe online is important, so don’t let them spoil your holiday shopping.

Hackers can access what you type on free Wi-Fi hotspots, including passwords and credit card information. Public Wi-Fi is not private. When you’re out, avoid making online purchases over public Wi-Fi. For extra security, use your mobile data instead.

Watch out for fake emails and texts.

During the holiday shopping season, phishing scams increased online. There was a 397% rise in domains used for typo-squatting, a type of attack that steals personal information and money from shoppers.

The holiday season gives phishing attackers more chances, since emails with deals or order confirmations are common. Be extra careful to keep your information safe.

Cyber criminals are getting better at making emails that look like they’re from brands like Target and Amazon. They want you to click a bad link or enter your login details so they can steal your information. Stay alert to avoid these tricks.

Watch out for fake emails that look like they’re from big brands. It’s safer to visit the website directly instead of clicking on suspicious links.

Keep track of your finances with banking alerts!

Keep an eye on your finances – make sure to check for any suspicious charges that might indicate a breach. An easy way to stay informed is by setting up banking alerts through your online banking app, so you have one less thing to worry about!

For example, many banks allow you to set up alerts for events such as:

1. When a purchase occurs over a specified dollar amount

2. When a purchase occurs from outside the country

Is your mobile device protected?

With the holiday shopping season in full swing, you’ll want to make sure your devices are secure from malicious apps and malware. Protect yourself this season with a security checkup – Contact us today for the peace of mind that comes with knowing your device is protected!