commtech Online Holiday Shopping Tips A Guide Presented by: CommTech Industries

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Howard Bishop
5 years ago
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1 Online Holiday Shopping Tips A Guide Presented by: CommTech Industries

2 Holiday season is already upon us and that means high traffic for online shopping and higher risk for internet scams. The scammers are always changing up their techniques to trick online shoppers into giving up personal information but we have some tried and true tips that you can use every year and every day for all of your online shopping. 1. First and foremost, always use a strong password for your accounts. You should never use your name or birthday in a password, or any other general information about yourself that may be easy for people to find. Passwords should be at least 10 characters in length and use a combination of uppercase, lowercase, numbers and special characters such as $ You should also never use the same password for multiple accounts for the simple fact that once a hacker gets one password, then they will have access to all of your accounts. 2. You should also create unique ID s with your financial institution. Avoid a username that is simply your first initial and last name. Add numbers to make it more creative (but avoid using your birthday) or play around with the normal spelling. 1

3 3. Be alert of scams. Many scams and online viruses will come via a fraudulent , and will look as if a legitimate merchant or company has sent it. Rather than click the links in the , go directly to the company s website and see if you can find the offer that way. If you cannot find it, then you know you ve encountered a scam and can alert the company. 4. A lot of websites give the option to keep you logged in, or save your password and other personal information. Saving these things should always be avoided. It would be devastating for a hacker to not only gain access to an online shopping account but then also retrieve your credit card information. SALE!! 5. Shop on website that use a secure URL. A secure URL will begin with https rather than just http. Websites that are secure will encrypt the information you enter. This means your personal information is safely transmitted to the merchant, and potential hackers are unable to steal your information from them. 2

4 8 6. Never shop online using a public computer. These computers may be infected with viruses or other malware that can steal your information. Even if the computer itself is not compromised, the internet connection it is using may be public and very easy for hackers to gain access to. It is always safest to use your personal device on your own password protected network for all online shopping. 7. Only make online purchases from merchants that you trust or have shopped with before. If you are unfamiliar with the company, do some research and look for other satisfied customers via the Better Business Bureau. A reliable company will advertise their physical business address, as well as have customer service phone numbers. Check out their order and return guidelines, and read their privacy and security policies. After you ve done some research, consider making a small purchase to test them out before making larger ones. 8. After you ve made a purchase, always print or save a copy of your order confirmation. Should anything happen to your package in transit, this will be your only proof of purchase so you can work out an exchange, credit, or refund with the merchant if necessary. 3

5 9. Lastly, you should use a credit card rather than a debit card when shopping online. Credit card companies offer much better fraud protections than debit cards. In fact, most credit cards allow you to receive a notice for any transactions made when the card was not present, such as an online purchase. This is a great tool to have that would notify you immediately of a fraudulent charge, and that your information is now compromised. The internet will never be free of hackers and scammers trying to get your information, and sometimes they can come across really smooth and dupe smart internet users. The best way to stay safe is always be in the know of current internet scams and follow our simple tips. Remember, if it seems fishy, it s probably a scam. Happy Holidays and Safe Shopping! 4

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Online Scams. Ready to get started? Click on the green button to continue. Online Scams Hi, I m Kate. We re here to learn how to protect ourselves from online scams. We ll follow along with Kevin to learn what types of scams are out there, how to recognize the warning signs,