Thanksgiving Cyber Monday Online Shopping Safety Guide

Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays. As well as fantastic food and family togetherness, the occasion is also a popular time for shoppers to scout out bargains on major brand names.

The Monday following the Thanksgiving weekend has widely become known as Cyber Monday, where consumers take to the internet in droves to unearth cheap deals on their favorite products.

But with the vast amounts of money that are changing hands on Cyber Monday, consumers need to be especially vigilant about protecting themselves from credit card fraud and other online crimes. There are a great number of precautions you can take to make sure you’re not the next victim of online criminals.

Note: Cyber Monday scams often increase because criminals know shoppers are rushed and less cautious during high-discount events.

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Make Sure the Website Is Secure Before Shopping Online

I know, I know. This is probably pretty common sense, but the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse suggests that you only purchase items online from reputable retailers that offer security with their transactions. These include major online stores such as Amazon or Play.com, while other organizations such as the Better Business Bureau provide lists of certain retailers they deem safe to use. But just how can you tell whether an additional online store is secure?

A good sign that a site is secure is that it will transport you to a dedicated location where you can enter card details. This is often shown with a small padlock icon at the top of your screen, meaning that you are protected from online attacks. The URL of the website should also change to https://, rather than the standard http:// (the extra “s” stands for “secure”). Occasionally, a key symbol will also be used to show that any data you are entering on the site is encrypted and safe from external viewers.

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Case Study

A holiday shopper once entered payment details on a website that looked legitimate but lacked HTTPS encryption. Within days, unauthorized transactions appeared on the credit card. Had the shopper checked for the padlock icon and secure URL, the fraudulent site could have been avoided entirely.

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Use Third-Party Payment Services for Online Purchases

Rather than simply relying on the vendor’s encryption technology to keep your details safe, you should also use an external financial organization to handle your purchases for you. Reputable firms in this field will provide additional safety locks that hackers and criminals will not be able to break. For example, when shopping online with VISA, an additional “Verified by VISA” code is used. This is a password that is preselected by you, and certain characters from it must be entered with every purchase online.

PayPal is also another great online resource to use for digital payments. You can apply for a refund directly from PayPal up to 30 days after any purchase for goods that you are not satisfied with. This refund comes directly from PayPal, meaning you are not reliant on the retailer giving your money back.

Note: Third-party payment services act as a buffer, preventing merchants from directly accessing your card details.

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Case Study

An online buyer used PayPal when purchasing electronics from an unfamiliar retailer during Cyber Monday. When the product never arrived, PayPal’s dispute process allowed the buyer to recover the full payment without contacting the seller directly.

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Protect Yourself from Cyber Monday Online Shopping Scams

There are also certain tactics you can use yourself to stay safe online. For example, it is a good idea to use only one dedicated credit card for online purchases in order to keep the rest of your details secure. You should also be careful about clicking through unsolicited links that pop up on your screen and opening emails that contain deals or “special offers” from unknown vendors.

Although shopping online is quick and easy, it can also occasionally be dangerous and leave your identity unprotected. I know you’re dying to go buck wild on Cyber Monday and spend, spend, spend, but I think you should take into consideration the above tips so that you actually come out of the holidays alive.

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Conclusion

Cyber Monday offers incredible savings, but it also attracts online criminals looking to exploit unsuspecting shoppers. By shopping only on secure websites, using trusted third-party payment services, and practicing smart personal security habits, you can enjoy the holiday deals while keeping your financial information safe.