Cybercriminals Want To Be the Grinch This Holiday Season How To Thwart Them |Travel Tech Gadgets

Dec 3, 2018

Cybercriminals Want To Be the Grinch This Holiday Season How To Thwart Them

Who is a Cybercriminal?

How To Stop Them:

1. Only shop on websites with "https" in the address field. The "s" in this acronym means the website is secure and communications on it are encrypted. HTTP vs. HTTPS: What's the Difference and Why Should You Care?

2. You can only be held accountable for less than $50 in fraudulent credit card purchases, according to federal law. The Fair Credit Billing Act provides protection that tops out at $50
Debit cards do not offer the same level of protection so you may want to shop with a credit card.

3. if a deal seems too to be true, it might be. Think twice before you click an email offering an exorbitant discount, especially if you don't recognize the sender. Always check the 'From' email address. It is a lot harder to mask or edit unlike the subject line and content of an email.

4. Don't shop on public Wi-Fi networks. These are more susceptible to identity theft. Shop on your home network instead. The Dangers of Free Wi-Fi and How To Protect Yourself

5. Make sure any apps you use to shop on are downloaded from a reputable source like the Apple App Store or Google Play

6. Shop on websites that ask for the three- or four-digit card verification number code on your credit card. Most of the time called CVV. This is an extra line of defense for you and the business since it verifies you actually have the card in front of you

7. Surf and shop using a VPN. VPN is a service that keeps your web browsing secure and private over public Wi-Fi hotspots to protect their privacy. On public WiFi, you are vulnerable to hackers and snoopers who try to obtain your private information. VPN encrypts your connection and it becomes secure and anonymous while browsing the Internet.

8. Download software update on your phone or computer when prompted. These often include important security patches.

9. Sign up for identity theft protection services, such as Legal Shield. These programs will monitor activity on your credit reports and help you investigate and resolve fraud.