Online Shopping Safety Tips For The Holidays

Cyber Monday will be here before you know it.

If you’re asking yourself: What’s Cyber Monday? It’s the busiest shopping day on the Internet. Cyber Monday is the first Monday following Thanksgiving. During last year’s Cyber Monday, consumers spent more than 800 million dollars on gifts online.

Buying gifts online is great. You avoid the traffic and the long lines at stores. However shopping online opens you up to security risks. There are people on the Internet, who are looking to steal credit card numbers and other personal information.

To keep you safe, we recommend read the following tips if you plan on shopping online this holiday season.

• Trust Known Online Sites: It’s better to buy a product from an online store that has a reliable reputation. Trust website that have actual brick and mortar stores as well as popular online stores like amazon.com. Avoid online stores without phone numbers and other contact information.

• Use Credit Cards, Not Debit Cards: If you purchase items online use a credit card. A debit card pulls money directly from you bank account. If you are the victim on online theft, it can take weeks to recover the money from your bank.

• Use Separate Passwords: When creating an online account at a store, don’t use the same password you use for your online bank account and your email. This could allow someone to break into your email or bank account and steal valuable information.

• Install Security Software On Your Computer: Security software can protect your computer against viruses and other bugs that can damage your computer. It also protects against people fishing for your personal information.

• Check The Website Address: Before buying anything, check the website address in the address bar on your Internet browser. When buying, be sure the address has “https://” or a padlock symbol in the address bar. Site missing this, may not be secure.

• Examine Their Return/Refund Policy: You want to buy from sites that have a legitimate refund and return policy. Avoid online stores that will not allow you to return purchases.

Following these tips will make your online shopping experience a lot better. As a rule of thumb if something doesn’t feel right, don’t buy it.