Do you know that 34% of Americans admit to taking more risks when shopping online during the holiday season compared to other times of the year?
That’s what the 2022 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report, prepared by the Harris Poll, found last year.
Also, 36% of Americans have fallen victim to online shopping scams during the holidays. Their loss? $387 on average.
Most often, cybercriminals connected with their victims in the following ways:
- Email – 40%
- Social media – 38%
- Third-party websites – 32%
- Text messages – 27%
- Phone calls – 23%
In other words, they use many means to steal your hard-earned money.
This holiday season build your cyber know-how to outsmart online thieves.
5 tips for safe online shopping this holiday season
Leverage these five tips to safeguard your holiday resources:
- Go straight to the source. Instead of Googling your favorite website and choosing the result, type the URL into your browser. You will avoid look-alike websites that are fake.
- Avoid “too good to be true” ads. There are discounts and then there are discounts that are so big they give you pause. Avoid those, they are likely scams.
- Be suspicious. Beware of unsolicited emails, text messages, and phone calls about holiday shopping. They are a red flag; only buy from trusted sources.
- Avoid making purchases with cash apps like Venmo. You won’t get your money back if it’s in the hands of online thieves. Instead, use your credit card for holiday purchases - it comes with consumer protections.
- Use unique passwords on retail sites. Buying from different retailers? Ensure you have a strong and unique password for each site to boost security.
Want other ways to build your safe holiday shopping muscle? Listen to our podcast episode, Don’t Get Hoaxed this Holiday Season – Tips for Safe Online Holiday Shopping. You’ll hear first-hand stories of holiday shopping gone wrong plus three important steps you can take to steer clear of shopping scams.