With Cyber monday fast approaching, there are a few items that we wanted to remind you of while find those great deals online. 1. Verify the site you are shopping on is secure by looking for the padlock symbol or verifying HTTPS:// is in the beginning of the address in the address bar. Reputable sites use secure encryption to safeguard your privacy and safety. Below is a screenshot of the address bar styles Firefox, Internet Explorer and Google Chrome respectfully show secure sites. 2. Before starting your online shopping, make sure that your anti-virus,anti-malware and anti-phishing software are up to date and are reporting a normal working status. Keyloggers could be hiding, waiting to capture your credit card information. If you are unsure if these programs are working correctly, please give us a call. 3. If using wireless, is your network secured? An unsecured network can allow access to anyone within range of its signal. Once on the network, they can eavesdrop on all network activity and all unencrypted traffic can be seen in plain sight. Don't forget Tip #1! 4. During your shopping experience, you will most likely be asked to register for an account if you do not already have one. While the name of a pet or the street you live on is easy to remember, just keep in mind that generally this information is somewhere online already be it a social media network (Facebook Wall, twitter tweets or maybe a comment on a photo on instagram), among many other places. Choose a password that is secure by using at least:8 to 16 charactersAt least 1 uppercase letterAt least 1 lowercase letterAt least 1 number andAt least 1 special character (the symbols above the top row of numbers. You can use shift to access them)Another good way is to think of a sentence that is easy to remember and then take the first letter of each work and then modify it with the steps above. 5. And lastly, if you suspect that there maybe an issue with one of the sites you purchase from, contact your credit card company, bank, all three credit reporting agencies and your local police and explain to them the reason you feel there maybe an issue.
