The holiday season is an important time to be aware and alert to cybersecurity threats and attacks. Due to COVID-19 many of us are conducting our holiday shopping online this year. The ease and convenience of online shopping provides a perfect opportunity for cybercriminals to take advantage of unsuspecting online shoppers. Below are some helpful online shopping tips that can protect you, your purchases, and your identity when shopping online:
- Shop at reliable websites. Use the sites of retailers you know and trust, and get to their sites by directly typing a known, trusted URL into the address bar instead of clicking on a link.
- Beware of seasonal scams. Fake package tracking emails, fake gift cards, and fake charity donations are very common around the holidays.
- Conduct research. There are a lot of fake and malicious companies out there this time of year. When considering a new website or online company for your holiday purchases, read reviews and see if other customers have had positive or negative experiences with them.
- Look for https:// (not http://) in the address bar before using your credit card online.
- Always think twice before clicking on links or opening attachments
- Use a credit card when making purchases online. If your payment card number gets stolen it is easier to report a fraudulent charge to your credit card company than to try to recover money pulled out of your bank account from a fraudulent debit card transaction.
Let’s work together to be safe online this holiday season.
For any questions or additional information, please reach out to OIT Security at security@uci.edu.
Sincerely,
Josh Drummond
Chief Information Security Officer
April Sather
Assistant Chief Information Security Officer