With the start of the holiday shopping season, your risk of financial fraud and identity theft increases. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) found 35% of fraud reports in 2021 were attributed to online scams during the holidays. Our top tips to stay safe while shopping this holiday season are provided below.
• Look for merchants who use encryption to transmit your personal information. Look for website addresses that begin with “https:” instead of “http:” or sites with the 🔒 icon.
• Think before you click on unfamiliar links both online and in emails
• Avoid buying from unfamiliar retailers or retailers who offer deals that are too good to be true.
• Use a strong password, password manager, and multifactor authentication (MFA) to secure and manage your online accounts.
• Limit your use of public Wi-Fi hotspots which can provide an opportunity for criminals to steal your sensitive information.
• Use a credit card, instead of a debit card, when shopping online. There are laws to limit your liability for fraudulent credit card charges, but you may not have the same level of protection for your debit cards.
Comments