With the big day just over a week away, a lot of people are scouring websites for the right gift. While frantic online shopping like this has become a holiday tradition in its own right, there is no reason to spoil the season by having your identity stolen online. That’s why we wanted to quickly review a few safeguards to keep in mind while online shopping.
Stay on Familiar Sites
The more well-known a website is, the better it is for you to use. You probably already have an Amazon account, so why make one more account to potentially be breached? Furthermore, the more well-known the website is, the more motivated they’ll be to make something right.
Trust is a valuable thing, and name recognition can bring that along with it.
Look for a Secure URL
How secure is your connection to the website you are currently shopping on? Most browsers will signify that a connection is secured with a small padlock icon in the address bar, so make sure you check for that.
That little lock signals that the website is using an SSL certificate, which is a fancy way of saying that your connection is encrypted. While this doesn’t guarantee the security of the entire website, mind you, it is a really good start.
Use Alternative Payment Options
While today’s websites are happy to accept credit cards as payment, they are also very open to taking your money through other means, such as third-party payment services like PayPal and the assorted other options. These payment systems give you the opportunity to keep your financial details out of another database, protected by encryption.
Be Aware of Phishing and Other Scams
Another side effect of the hustle of the holidays is that it becomes much easier for a cybercriminal for swindle someone. Think about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s role in the holiday movie Jingle All the Way… how do you think he would have reacted to an email offering a discounted Turbo-Man action figure?
Any offer that sounds too good to be true almost assuredly is, especially considering how often scammers use email as a means to get you to turn over your account information. Make sure you’re not blinded by your desperation to get a gift to the realities of the free market.
Yes, the Internet makes holiday shopping much easier - even at the last minute - but it has also made it a lot easier to be scammed. This goes double for your own business. Reach out to our team to learn more about the threats to your business, and how we can help stop them. Call us at (760) 466-1200.
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