Cyber Monday Safe Shopping Tips

You could not offer me enough money to get me into a shopping mall on Black Friday. Frankly, shopping malls are not my favorite place to frequent any day of the year, but Black Friday is a definite “NO.” I'd prefer to avoid the crowds, the kicking, biting, scratching, screaming, pushing, fighting and wait patiently in my comfortable chair with my favorite soft drink, for Cyber Monday. Don't get me wrong, Cyber Monday comes with its own set of hazards to watch out for.

IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark reported that online sales on Thanksgiving grew by 17.4 percent followed by Black Friday where sales increased 20.7 percent over last year. If that is any indication, lots of money is going to exchange hands on Cyber Monday and online shoppers should be careful of online scams and other threats. With all this activity occurring online the unscrupulous amongst us will be out in force. So beware and take a few precautions to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft, or just having your credit or debit card stolen from you.

• Use your home computer over a secure network. Instead of taking up your usual seat at Starbucks and transmitting your credit card information over their unsecure public wireless network, go through the drive-thru and transact your business from your home.
• Take a minute and make certain you have the most current version of one of the leading browsers, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox of Internet Explorer. Generally, the latest version will have the most current protections against spyware, adware and the like.
• Update your antivirus software prior to commencing your shopping spree. I'm sure you do this regularly anyway, but a quick update right now can only help.
• If you receive an email that sounds too good to be true, believe me, IT'S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. End of story. Don't click on the link. Don't give it a second thought. Don't call me when your computer is infected with the worst virus you've ever seen and all your credit card and password information has been stolen.
• Shop on encrypted websites. You will know the site is encrypted if the url begins with “https” rather than “http.” If it begins with “https” then it will process secure transactions.
• Take a screenshot or print all your receipts and payment confirmations just in case you don't receive the promised email confirmation.
• Use your credit card instead of your debit card in case you need to dispute a purchase. It's much easier to dispute a credit card purchase.
• Buy from trusted websites.

Using these tips is likely to make your Cyber Monday shopping a safer experience. Remember to use your common sense. There is always a new scam and a new scammer out there. A little bit of common sense seems to go a long way in these situations. Don't let the chase for the great deals cloud your brain. Stay alert and stay safe.

Got any of your own tips to share with us?