With the holiday season approaching, your inbox is likely flooded with tempting online deals for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and everyday sales. However, it’s also prime season for hackers looking to snag your hard-earned gift money.
‘Tis the season for cybersecurity!
Here are a few things you can do to protect your personal info this holiday season:
Check your bank and credit card statements: With holiday scams in full swing, keep a closer eye on your accounts to look for any suspicious activity. If you see any charges you don’t recognize, contact your financial institution immediately.
Lock down your accounts with multi-factor authentication (MFA): Many financial and online accounts (e.g., Amazon) offer MFA or two-step authentication as an added security feature, similar to Duo, when you log in. Go into your account’s security settings to see if this option is available and turn it on. And always remember to have a strong and unique password!
Don’t shop on public Wi-Fi: Never use banking or shopping apps on a public Wi-Fi network – you never know who’s accessing the network or how secure it is.
Beware of resellers: The hottest gifts are often the target of bots that buy them all up and try to resell them at higher prices. Unfortunately, that means a popular item you may want could be up for sale by a suspicious vendor. Always buy items from verified vendors to ensure you’re not at risk for fraud or counterfeit items. You can usually do this by looking at reviews on Yelp or Google.
Pay securely: Credit cards are usually the safest way to pay for items online, so avoid using other methods like mailing cash or checks, or using bank/wire transfers. If you’re not comfortable providing your credit card info online, you can use a service like PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Wallet to pay. And always check that a site’s URL starts with https before inputting your personal info.
If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is: You may get emails with links or attachments to holiday deals that seem a little too amazing. Go with your gut if something is priced way below what you think it should be. Chances are that it could be a scam or phishing attempt.
Happy holidays and safe shopping!