With #CyberMonday here, be careful – translation, very careful – about your online activities today. For those of you who plan to make purchases either at lunch, break time, or at the end of the work day until midnight sales end, here are five tips to stay safe on the largest online activity day of the year.
[1] Make sure your desktop computer, laptop, smartphone, or mobile device has some form of anti-virus protection.
[2] If you enter your credit card or other personal information online, make sure that the website in the browser starts with HTTPS and not just HTTP, because the HTTPS encrypts the information you enter (credit card details, etc.)
[3] Do your research before you buy. Check out reputable sites such as Amazon.com to make sure you’re paying a legitimate price for your item. Also, don’t make any purchases from a site that doesn’t have a privacy policy – there should be an explanation as to how the site uses your personal information.
[4] Once you make a purchase, you may notice an influx of emails in your inbox. Since it’s the holiday season, be careful when you click on what looks like an email confirmation for your purchase. It’s possible that a spam email could contain a virus once you click “open.”
[5] Some sites request a password. Use a different password than what you use for your email addresses and social sites. And remember, you can choose to use an eCommerce site as a “guest” and not store any credit card information.
Lastly, remember to always log off from a site once you complete your transaction.
Happy #CyberMonday – shop smart and stay safe!
Image Credit: Debbie Laskey via BrandingandMore.net.
Tips4Tech Blog 