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12 Tips to Safe Shopping Online

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These days, shopping online isn’t a risky, crazy or scary task, but with all of the cyber criminals out and about, you might want to think twice before clicking “submit payment.”

If you are going to be shopping online, there are some things that you can do to keep yourself safe. Here are some tips:

Tips for Avoiding Online Shopping Scams

  1. Think about this; if you were a cybercriminal, how would you lure a victim? You might put an ad on social media, for instance, sharing an amazing deal. If you see a deal that looks too good to be true, it probably is.
  2. What if you want to look at the deal? It doesn’t hurt to look, right? Wrong. Sometimes even clicking on the ad can download a virus onto your computer.
  3. Back up your computer regularly, especially before you start shopping online.
  4. You can be protected if you use security software like firewall software, antivirus software, antispyware, and antiphishing, even if you go to a malicious site.
  5. Don’t use a debit card if you can help it. If you pay with a debit card and a scammer takes your money, you might never get it back.
  6. It’s much safer to use a credit card. If you pay with a credit card, you can dispute the charge, and the credit card company will work with you and reverse the charges.
  7. Also, if you use a credit card, contact the company to find out if they have a “one-time use number” for the card. This way, if you do make a purchase to the scammer, they can’t use that number again.
  8. If you are shopping for common, everyday items, only buy them from reputable, big-name retailers. All of the URLs should have a padlock symbol next to them, and they should say “https” not “http.”
  9. If you are buying from a merchant you are not familiar with, familiarize yourself with the site’s reputation. Do some research to find out if anyone has had issues with the site in the past.
  10. Take a look at the merchant’s privacy policy and see what the limits are.
  11. Keep in mind that a merchant doesn’t need any more information than your name/address, credit card info, and shipping info. If they ask for other information, like a birthday or Social Security number, do not give it. It is probably a scam. Do not give retailers like this any information about you.
  12. Don’t shop online when you are connected to public Wi-Fi. If you don’t have a choice, you can use a VPN, virtual private network, to make sure all of your information is encrypted.

Consider identity theft protection as an additional layer to protect your identity from various scams. No one is immune from fraud or all scams, but identity theft protection services are there to watch your back and assist in case something goes wrong.

Online shopping should be a very worry-free process, but there are some things you can do, as listed above, to reduce your risk of danger. By making these practices a habit, you can stay safe now and in the future.

ROBERT SICILIANO CSP, is a #1 Best Selling Amazon author, CEO of CreditParent.com, the architect of the CSI Protection certification; a Cyber Social and Identity and Personal Protection security awareness training program.

10 Ways to Keep Yourself Safe from Shopping Scams During the Holidays

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The winter holidays are a time for friends, family, and fun…and also fraud. Here are 10 ways that you can protect yourself from shopping scams this holiday season:

Gift Card Scams

Don’t ever give anyone your credit card information to claim a gift card that you hear about via email.

Shop Smart

Online shopping? Don’t do it while connected to a public Wi-Fi connection. These are not secure, and anyone can get access to your bank account, credit card, or log in information. Instead, use a VPN or your home network.

Be Careful with Coupons

Coupons can be great deals, but if they look too good to be true, you should assume that it is

Protect Your Passwords

Make sure you change passwords regularly for all sensitive accounts. Also, make sure that you don’t repeat passwords from account to account. When you create your passwords, you should randomly make them a mixture of both upper- and lower-case letters along with symbols and numbers. Make it at least 12 characters. You can use a password manager to help you remember it.

Set Up Two Step Verification

Consider setting up two step verification. Once you log into an account, you will receive a numerical code via text, which serves as a second verification for your account. This stops people from logging into an account unless they have both your log in information and your phone.

Think Before Clicking

Don’t click on links that come into your email, even if you think it’s from someone or a company you know. Big companies like Walmart, Kohl’s, Macy’s, etc, usually do not send links like this in email, so if you see one, ignore it. Scammers create these links in the hope that you will click it. If you do click one, it may download a virus to your computer or take you to a fake site, where you might be tricked into entering your credit card information.

Keep Your Bank and Credit Card Secure

Look into the type of security measures that your bank uses, and then use them. You also might consider setting up push notifications or push alerts through your credit card company so you get an email or text message with every charge.

Employment Scams

You are likely to see ads during this time a year that advertises for jobs that pay way more than they should. $50 an hour for filling out surveys? Skip it.

Review Your Financial Health

Each month take some time to review all of your financial accounts to see if there is any activity that seems suspicious. Even a small charge can be very suspicious. Often, a scammer will make a small transaction to test things out.

HTTP vs. HTTPS

When you see an “S” at the end of the HTTP portion of the URL, it means that the site is secure. Only do shopping on sites with that “S.” Finally, make sure you update your browser before you shop.

ROBERT SICILIANO CSP, is a #1 Best Selling Amazon author, CEO of CreditParent.com, the architect of the CSI Protection certification; a Cyber Social and Identity and Personal Protection security awareness training program.

Protect Yourself from Holiday Shopping Scams

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Even though the highly publicized retail data breaches have involved off-line brick and mortar stores, this doesn’t mean that security is high with online shopping. Scammers and hackers are waiting for you in more ways than you know, such as: 9D

  • Fake product reviews
  • Non-existent products
  • Delivered products that don’t match what was seen on the retail site
  • Shoppers being tricked into typing their credit card information into a purchase form on a phony shopping site
  • Malicious attachments and phishing emails offering too good to be true discounts to install malware on your device.

Let’s explore online shopping scams in more detail.

First up are malicious links and malments (malicious attachment).

  • You receive an e-mail pitching a great product deal; click on the link to learn more or to make the purchase. The scammer often makes the e-mail look like it came from a leading retailer. Clicking the e-mail may download a virus, or take you to the scammer’s website where you’re tricked into “buying” non-existent products—giving out your credit card information.
  • An e-mail may contain an attachment that, when opened, downloads a virus.
  • The e-mail may appear to come from UPS (but it’s really from the crook), and if you just by chance recently ordered something for delivery by UPS, you’re then easily tricked into clicking a “track your order” link.
  • Never click links or open attachments from e-mails that you’re not outright expecting, especially if there are typos in the message.

Coupons

  • If it’s too good to be true, then it’s too good to be true.
  • Be suspicious if a coupon site with fantabulous deals wants all sorts of personal information from you, as in, “What do they need to know that for?”
  • Fraudulent coupon sites often have typos including poor punctuation.
  • Annoying pop-up windows should send you running.

Gift Cards

  • Same thing as above: If it’s too good to be true, then assume it’s a scam.
  • Just delete any gift card e-mails pitching amazing deals, especially if there’s a link in the message.
  • Never fill out personal information in a form inside an unsolicited e-mail for some fantastic deal.

Not every gift card related e-mail is fraudulent. If the e-mail appears to be from someone you know, contact that person for verification before opening any attachment or following any links. A tip that it’s legitimate is that it has a code so that you can claim the gift; a tip that it’s a scam is that it’s asking you for your credit card information.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to TheBestCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention.

8 ways to avoid holiday shopping scams

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So what will you be doing this holiday season to avoid getting scammed? The scammers really come out of the woodwork during the holidays, waiting to snatch their victims. It’s easier than you think to avoid getting ripped off or getting your entire bank account sucked dry. Here’s how to avoid getting tangled in a scammer’s net: 9D

  • Always inspect every purchase on your credit card statements to make sure you recognize them.
  • If you must go with a lesser-known seller (because the product is very unique), then first Google them for any bad reviews. Keep in mind that raving reviews may have been set up by a scammer, but the presence of bad reviews is very telling. A clue that excellent reviews were set up by a fraudster is that identical ones appear on different sites.
  • Back up your data. Why? When all else fails and your data and devices have been destroyed by malware, a cloud backup like Carbonite allows you to not only recover all your data, but it helps you sleep at night.
  • Never click a link inside an e-mail that appears to have come from a retailer, UPS, the government, etc. Even if you just purchased something from Amazon, that e-mail “from” Amazon that contains a link is –you can bet on this — the work of a scammer. Clicking on the link may download a virus, or lead you to a site that lures you into giving your credit card number, SSN and other vital data to a cyber thief.
  • Sellers can also be victims of scams. A common one is that the buyer overpays the seller with a phony check, pretends it’s an innocent mistake, and then asks you to wire back the difference.
  • If you’re buying from individuals instead of businesses (think: eBay), meet potential buyers and sellers in public locations. If you’re buying, inform the seller you’ll initially meet without cash just to inspect the item.

Robert Siciliano is an expert in personal privacy, security and identity theft. Learn more about Carbonite Personal plans. See him discussing identity theft prevention. Disclosures.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like the Holiday Shopping Season

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The holiday season is in full force. Not only is it time to bring out the tinsel while jamming out to holiday music, it’s also time to buckle down on your holiday shopping. Have you made your holiday shopping list yet? Luckily, in the U.S., the biggest shopping days of the year are coming up meaning lots of shopping deals at stores on and offline to help you complete your holiday shopping list.

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-online-risks-sign-road-banner-image34668294There are people out there who are really gung-ho about Black Friday—camping outside a department store the night before and fighting the masses for the half-price widescreen tv. That’s not really my style; I’m more of a Cyber Monday kind of guy. I just fire up my computer or tablet and start clicking and then boxes magically arrive at my house…well maybe not magically.

Online shopping is convenient for the holiday shopper. No lines, no braving the sometimes nasty winter weather, no crowds—you can buy almost anything and never leave your couch. Although online shopping is a great way to complete your holiday shopping list, you should take a couple precautions while online to keep your personal and financial information safe from hackers.  Along with avoiding the 12 Scams of the Holidays, here are the top 5 tips to help you stay safe while shopping online this holiday season.

  • Be wary of deals. Does that 90% off blowout sale of iPhones sounds too good to be true? It probably is. Any offer you see online that has an unbelievable price shouldn’t be believable. Beware of spam emails with links to awesome deals, as it’s particularly dangerous to buy on a site advertised in a spam email. I recommend using web protection, like McAfee® SiteAdvisor® provides easy to results to protect you from going to a malicious website.
  • Use credit cards rather than debit cards. If the site turns out to be fraudulent, your credit card company will usually reimburse you for the purchase; and in the case of credit card fraud, the law should protect you. With debit cards, it can be more difficult to get your money back and you don’t want your account to be drained while you’re sorting things out with your bank. Another option savvy shoppers sometimes use is a one-time use credit card, which includes a randomly generated number that can be used for one transaction only. If the number is stolen it cannot be used again. Using this type of credit card also ensures that a thief does not have access to your real credit card number.
  • Review the company’s policies. Look to see how the merchant uses your personal information and check to make sure that it will not be shared with third parties. You should only disclose facts necessary to complete your purchase and not any additional information about yourself. Also, check the website’s shipping policy and make sure it seems reasonable to you. You want to make sure that you understand all your shipping options and how they will affect your total cost of your online purchase.
  • Check that the site is secure. Find out if a company’s website is secure by looking for a security seal, like the McAfee SECURE™ trustmark, which indicates that the site will protect you from identity theft, credit card fraud, spam and other malicious threats. Make sure the site uses encryption—or scrambling—when transmitting information over the Internet by looking for a lock symbol on the page and checking to make sure that the web address starts with httpS://.
  • Only use secure devices and connections.  If you are using a public computer, information such as your browsing history and even your login information may be accessible to strangers who use the computer after you. Also, never shop using an unsecured wireless network because hackers can access your payment information if the network is not protected.  To protect yourself, do all of your online shopping from your secure home computer. When shopping at home, make sure all your devices are protected with comprehensive security like McAfee LiveSafe™ service which protects all your PCs, tablets and smartphones.

Robert Siciliano is an Online Security Expert to McAfee. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Mobile was Hacked!  Disclosures.

10 Secure Online Holiday Shopping Tips

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Holiday shopping is easy, convenient and it can be secure too. Here are 10 tips to a secure online shopping experience during the holiday season:

Avoid spoofed websites. Common sense says any time you receive an offer via an e-mail automatically be suspicious. The same goes with offers via tweets and messages received in any social media site.

Don’t click the links in e-mails. Especially if it’s a “too good to be true” offer.

Beware of cybersquatting and typosquatting which may look like the domain of a legitimate eTailer.

Look for https:// in the address bar signifying it’s a secure page. Generally, scammers won’t take the time to set up secure sites. Note the closed padlock in your browser to back up the HttpS.

Beware of e-mails coming for eBay scammers. If you are seeking deals on eBay, go right to the site and don’t bother responding to e-mails. Search deals on an e-mail directly on eBay.

Look at the eBayers history. eBay is set up on the honor system. If the eBayer is an established seller with great feedback, they should be legit.

Pay close attention to your statements. Check them every two weeks online and refute unauthorized charges within 2 billing cycles.

Don’t use a debit-card online. If your debit card is compromised, that’s money out of your bank account. Credit cards have more protection and less liability.

Avoid paying by check online/mail-order. Once the money is taken from your account and you don’t receive the goods, you are going to have a difficult, if not impossible, task of getting it back.

Secure your PC. Update your critical security patches and anti-virus and only shop from a secured internet connection.

Robert Siciliano, personal security expert contributor to Just Ask Gemalto and author