Cyber Monday is an online shopping day following Black Friday. Many retailers offer major discounts on a large portion of their inventory. According to Adobe Analytics, this cyber Monday is projected to be the largest in history, with online sales totaling $9.4 billion. That is 19% higher than last year’s online holiday. Since there are so many people using the internet as a purchasing tool in the course of one day, cybercriminals, hackers, and thieves will be lurking, also. Therefore, it is crucial to keep your information protected and secure at all costs. Here are some tips on how to do so.
Never reuse passwords
We understand that it is a headache to try and remember a different password for each account you have. However, it is very important to have diverse passwords. If you have the same password for every account you use, a hacker has access to all of your accounts from that one password. On the other hand, if you have different passwords for all of your accounts, a hacker only has access to the account linked to the one password he or she found. Keep a list of all your different passwords in a safe place so you don’t have to rely on yourself to remember all of them.
Set up notifications for credit card alerts
Whether you are using a debit card or a credit card, your bank or credit card company should have an app that allows you to turn on notifications when purchases are made. This will help you know quickly if your information has been stolen, and the sooner you find out, the better. This allows you to freeze or cancel the card immediately and prevent further damage from being made. (Side note: we recommend you use a credit card rather than a debit card so that if your card information does get stolen, the hacker would not have access to your bank account.)
Access the website you want to shop on directly from a secured browser
On Cyber Monday, hackers and thieves get creative. A common tactic they use is sending out links that look as though they will take you to the store’s website, but it is actually a corrupted link that grants them access to your personal and financial information. Avoid this at all costs by simply searching the store on Google and accessing it that way.
Finding great deals is awesome, but getting hacked – not so much. Always be cautious about where you put in your card information, and if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Do your research and remember our helpful tips when shopping this Cyber Monday.
