Cyber Monday (and Cyber Everyday) Security Tips

Merry Shop-mas!

'Tis the season to shop like we can afford it. It does beat the madness that is Black Friday...which isn't even Black *Friday* anymore. But that's a whole other rant.

Today we're talking (typing?) about online security. Crooks can steal your money without the diversionary monkey to distract you while they pick your pocket.

The crooks (and their evil monkeys) can stay home and drain your bank account from the comfort of their (probably stolen) sofa.

With data breaches becoming more common than non-criminals would like, we can't just rely on the big companies to keep our data (and money) safe.

USA Today posted some tips on cyber shopping, in honor of the 10th Anniversary of Cyber Monday (I guess someone is keeping track).

• Ignore pop-ups. Don’t click on any. Zip, zilch, zero, nada. They're not only annoying, but often malicious.
• Do not click on links in emails! Always double check the details of the email address sending you the deal. If it says Walmart, but the email address isn’t from “Walmart.com” you know it’s bogus. To be safe, manually go to the website. That means not clicking on the link in the email are you even paying attention?! Manually type "walmart.com" into your browser. Better yet, type in the website of a local small business.
• Make sure you use only one card to shop with and monitor activity on it religiously. Finding errors/unauthorized transactions will be easier that way.
• If you get any emails or texts from your “bank” or “credit card company”, call them directly. Don’t respond with any information unless you are 100-percent sure it is them. Again, check the details of the email address. Banks do not email you soliciting personal information. Remind grandma of this.
• Don’t fall for counterfeit merchandise. Got to reputable sites only. Or buy local.
• If you get an order confirmation alert that asks for information or asks to click a link, it is a phony. Don’t fall for it. Just don't. Don't.

The easy way out of this is to buy locally with cash, but since this IS America, just try to be smart about shopping online.

H/T: USA Today