It is estimated by the National Retail Federation that almost 70 million consumers shopped online on Cyber Monday alone. Unfortunately, this also coincides with consumers increasingly losing money to online scams. Utah’s Department of Public Safety is urging all to be safe while shopping online. Never use public Wi-Fi for any shopping activity. Look for the lock symbol on websites before entering any personal and credit card information. Avoid using links and attachments in unsolicited emails as cyber-criminals can easily steal retailer branding. Before shopping know the cost of products so that if a deal is too good to be true you will know. Consider using a one-time use credit card number. Keep personal computers secure and use Multi-Factor Authentication. Use credit over debit in the event that a card is compromised criminals can use a debit card to have direct access to funds from the bank. Try to avoid leaving purchases in a car unattended and keep alert of “porch pirates” by tracking packages.
