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Holiday Cyber Smarts - Tips to Shop Safely Online DR. CHERYL COOPER
he holiday season is the favorite time of the year for cyber criminals because there is an increase of people online ready to spend money. This year more than any other, shoppers will skip the mall crowds and simply do their holiday shopping online. Young adults are increasingly turning to TikTok, Instagram and other social media sites to shop for their holiday gifts. The best way to counter scams is through awareness. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s (IC3) 2022 report, “IC3 received a total of 800,944 reported complaints, with losses exceeding $10.3 billion. Interestingly, while the total number of complaints decreased by 5%, dollar losses increased significantly by 49%.” Phishing schemes were the number one crime type with 300,497 complaints and, for the first time, investment schemes reported the highest financial loss to victims. (FBI, March, 2023), Internet Crime Complaint Center Releases 2022 Statistics — FBI. Before you start shopping online here are some things you can do to avoid becoming a victim.
1. Use Strong Passwords
Look at your accounts and ask, do you have strong passwords? A strong, complex password should be at a minimum at least 8 characters of upper and lower case, and a symbol.
1. Beware of Gift Card Scams
Scammers love gift cards, too. If you’re told to pay for an item with a gift card, you’re about to be scammed, according to the Federal Trade Commission. This is a favorite payment method for scammers because it’s like paying in cash. It’s nearly impossible to get your money back. For example, a scammer may pose as a seller on an online marketplace and ask you to buy a gift card and send them the code to pay for the item. Once they have the code, they can use the gift card and disappear.
3. Pay with Credit Card, not Debit Card
Pay with a credit card, not a debit card. You may be thinking you can avoid getting into debt by paying with your debit card. While that’s true, a credit card purchase offers more consumer protection than a debit card. For big-ticket items use credit. If your credit card information is stolen or used fraudulently, you can dispute the charges and limit your liability. If your debit card information is compromised, the money is taken directly from your bank account and it may take longer to recover it.
4. Turn on Multi Factor Authentication
Turn on multifactor authentication: If an account or service offers multifactor authentication (MFA), turn it on. If someone else tries to log into your account, you will be able to thwart the attempt when you are notified with a text, email, or other chosen method. MFA can block over 99 percent of password attacks according to Microsoft. 8
