How To Stay Safe On Cyber Monday

With a busy holiday weekend ahead of us and Black Friday and Cyber Monday right around the corner, we felt it’s a great time to share an interview with the President and CEO of SDTEK on KUSI NEWS about how to shop safe on Cyber Monday.

Here are some helpful tips on how to stay safe online, shop securely, and minimize your chances of becoming a victim of a cyber attack.

Email Scams

If the email looks like it could be a scam, we recommend going directly to the website of the organization that you are receiving an email from. Especially if the email is very specific. In general, email is the #1 way ransomware, viruses, and accounts get compromised.

Promotional Emails

If you receive a promotional email about Black Friday deals or Cyber Monday specials and it looks like it could be a scam, do not click on the links inside this email. Go directly to the website of the company sending this email and view the promotions on their website.

Help from a Search Engine

If you receive an email from a lesser known online retailer, use a search engine to research the web address used in the email for the online retailer. Search engines can sort through and identify if the website url is safe or not. Therefore, you should know from the first or second page of your search results, with a search engine such as Google, if the website is legit or a scam.

Is The Website Secure?

When visiting an online retailer – make sure the website is secure. You will want to make sure the website is secure by looking to see if there is a “s” in the “https” portion of their website address. A lot of major retailers do provide a secure online shopping experience, however, there are websites out there that do not provide adequate protection. At a minimum you want to make sure the “log-in” and “check out” process is secure on a website.

Avoid Using A Debit Card

For online purchases, try to avoid using a debit card. We do highly recommend to use a credit card for an online purchase. Using a credit card offers better consumer protection than using a debit card. If you experience a fraudulent online transaction with your debit card – this will immediately impact the cash that is linked to that debit card, whether that is a checking account or savings account. In an instant, the money that is linked to your debit card will be gone.

Check Before You Click.

If you see an ad and it’s a bit suspicious, and it reads something like “Click Here To Buy”, we recommend running your mouse over the button first before clicking on it. In your web browser, on the bottom left corner, the website address will appear and show you which web address you will be taken to upon making that click. This will help to confirm you are heading to the retailer’ website of your choice.

It’s OK to Hesitate

If anything seems out of the norm, it’s okay to hesitate! When in doubt, if you find yourself questioning if an email looks like it could be a scam, do not click on anything in that email. Instead open up a new browser window and simply go directly to the website.

We wish you a great holiday season and remember to stay safe when online shopping!

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