Shop safely this holiday season
Date Posted: Wednesday, November 27, 2024
‘Tis the season for food, family and plenty of holiday shopping. Stay cyber safe when shopping online with these tips.
Do business with reputable vendors
Before providing any personal or financial information, make sure you are interacting with a reputable, established vendor.
Check site security before you buy
Many sites use secure sockets layer (SSL) to encrypt information. Indications that your information will be encrypted include a URL that begins with “https:” and a padlock icon.
Watch out for “phishy” emails requesting information
Don’t fall for email scams this holiday season. Attackers may attempt to gather information by sending emails requesting that you confirm a purchase or credit card account information. Legitimate businesses will not solicit this type of information via email.
Use secure payment methods
Credit cards provide more protection in cases of fraud. There are laws to limit your liability for fraudulent credit card charges, but you may not have the same level of protection when using debit cards.
Learn more about staying safe when holiday shopping on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) site: Holiday Online Shopping | CISA
For additional information contact VITA Communications at vitacomms@vita.virginia.gov