Tech Corner: November 2021
Topic: Practice Safe Measures for Online Holiday Shopping
Statistics indicate that by the end of 2023, the US is expecting to have nearly 300 million online shoppers. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the US has added $105 billion to US online shopping. Online retail sales are up over 40% for the first quarter 2021.
Online shopping and ec-ommerce sites have created a very easy and convenient way to shop online from your very own home. Navigating, clicking buttons, and hitting that pay now button. However, just like any transaction on the internet, there are safety precautions to consider and educate yourself on to keep things safe and secure
Here are a few ways to practice safe measures for online shopping this holiday season:
- Don’t open or click on emails from unknown e-commerce or shopping sites claiming to offer special deals or discounts.
- Keep your system up to date with the latest system updates, antivirus protection, and malware protection.
- Don’t make purchases from public WIFI environments that you can’t be sure of safety on.
- Don’t make purchases from websites that are not SECURE. SECURE sites will have HTTPS in front of them as well as a safe-site lock indication.
- Always use strong passwords for every site you make purchases on and avoid recycling passwords for online shopping that match more important password such as your credit card or bank accounts.
- Try to shop only with reputable retailers, avoid the one-off sites that you’ve never heard of that claim to have the special discount
- Avoid making online purchases with your debit card. Use your credit card as much as possible, more safety precautions in the event of card being compromised.
- Be sure to get tracking for packages whenever possible and keep an eye on them throughout the transit process.
- If you make regular online purchases, consider adding an identity theft solution to your routine practice, to notify of abnormal purchases or account creations.
- Guard your personal information and avoid making purchases from sites that seem to ask too many invasive questions such as ANY that request your social security information. There is no reason to provide SSN for any online purchase.
This tech corner is not meant to deter you from online shopping. On the contrary, online shopping is a convenient and efficient way to get things done. Just be cautious and aware of your online shopping habits. Have a great holiday season, stay safe and healthy!
