Shop Securely: Avoid Holiday Scams
November 20th, 2017 by admin
On the first day of Christmas, my scammer gave to me, three spoofed sites, two password loggers and a maaalware in a pear tree! The holidays are here and that means plenty of gift searching and online shopping. But before you begin your gift hunting, we have a few tips to keep all your presents in your sack -and far from the naughty hands of scammers. Christmas is fun, shopping is fun, and avoiding scams is a blast! Okay, not so much that last part, but it is more fun than the alternative. Scammers hit extra hard this time of year so you have to be even more careful during the holidays. Here are some tips that will keep you safe:Watch for fake websites
Some scams work by redirecting you to a fake website that looks legitimate. They hope to get you to enter your passwords or credit card info and then you’re in real trouble. To avoid this, stay alert and double check the site addresses. Make sure that you are on the real “amazon.com” and not “amaz0nn.123.com”.Use secure websites
Never shop at a website that doesn’t have an SSL Certificate. This is a security measure that will prevent most security breaches from getting your data. You can tell it has an SSL Certificate if the web address starts with HTTPS instead of HTTP.Keep your PC protected
Make sure you have up-to-date virus protection and that your live protection is on (most are on by default) before you start shopping around the web. If you end up in a bad place, they often try to install malware on your device. Having up-to-date virus protection will keep your computer squeaky clean.If it looks too good to be true, it probably is
A lot of scams get their victims by enticing them with insanely good deals. Steve Jobs did not build his empire by blasting “Free ipad if you click now” ads. If it seems crazy, it likely is. Do some quick research and you should be able to find out if a deal is legit or not.Be careful about where you save your credit cards
Be wary about saving credit cards to your favorite online stores. If you use the same password for everything and your password gets stolen, the thief will gain access to your saved credit cards on amazon, ebay or anywhere they think to login to.Use secure passwords
Keeping your passwords secure is very important. It is still a common strategy to brute force or guess weak passwords. Weak passwords are predictable and simple. For example it does not take a computer genius to hack your computer locked with "Password123". If it was “P@sSwoRd132!” it becomes so difficult to hack most hackers won’t even bother. For more helpful tips on password security click here. That’s everything for now. These tips should keep you safe and sound. We hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday season! As always, send us a message if you have any questions or comments, we love hearing from you. Kender OstlundPosted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, News