Holiday shopping can be made easy with the click of a button, however, the click of a button can lead you to scams and viruses online.
Eric Lacer, a technician at Core Tech LLC, says oftentimes there is a spike in scams during the holiday season.
Lacer said don’t click links in the emails. Just go to the website yourself and see if the sale is
there. It is never individualized for you. Clicking those links is one of the easiest ways people get scammed.
Phishing involves the sending of fraudulent emails or messages in an attempt to steal sensitive data or information.
Aside from avoiding suspicious links or phishing emails, Lacer says there are other ways to ensure the website you are clicking on is secure.
When you look up by the where the URL is, if there is a padlock there, that means that site is secure. That site is using some type of encryption to encrypt your information that you are passing back and forth along the Internet to them. If you put your credit card information in there, it is secure.
Other than making sure the browser is secure, Lacer says that it may be helpful to slow down and pay attention to what and where you are clicking.
Lacer said look at the link, make sure it is the website you are going to. There are some people out there who will put a website up that looks like it is legit. Go to the websites that you want to go to by going into your web browser, and going to that website physically. Don’t click on links and emails. Be mindful and look for stuff that is out of place.
If you come across a scam or think you may be involved in one, Lacer says to report it.
If you use Gmail or anything like that, you can always report those emails to Gmail, and Gmail will take action and shut down that e-mail domain that they are sending those from.
For those who think they have been scammed, he advises you to call your bank to inform them of any fraudulent activity. Check your bank statements for fraudulent purchases, and then take steps from there with your financial institution.
Cyber Monday will be taking place on Monday, November 27.
Source: WBKO
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