With the pandemic impacting how everyone will be doing their Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping this year, it is more important than ever that you prepare yourself for safe holiday shopping online. Online fraudsters will be preying on customers like never before. Here are tips to help you keep yourself and your information safe and secure.

Beware of ‘AMAZING’ deals

According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), lost money from social media scams have more than tripled in the past year! Be extra careful because if the deal looks too good to be true, then it probably is.

Buy from Brands You Know

If you aren’t familiar with the business or seller that you are about to purchase from, take a few minutes to look into their reviews and reputation. You could save yourself from a scam.

Update Your Software

Make sure your operating system and your banking app is fully up to date. This will help make sure that your device is protected and takes advantage of the added security your device offers.

Strengthen Your Passwords

Check your passwords to ensure that they have a unique mix of capital letters, lower-cased letters, numbers, and special characters. Plus the longer the password, the better!

Avoid Public Wifi

Public wi-fi networks or notoriously more susceptible to security attacks. When you connect to a public network, you never know who else may be on it trying to spy on your activity. Make an effort to avoid using public wi-fi whenever you can.

Social Engineering and Phishing

Be aware of social engineering scams, specifically phishing scams, that ask for your personal information. Double check the email address that sent you the message and if you don’t recognize the sender, don’t respond or click on it.

Monitor Your Activity

Download the FBTC Mobile App or your bank’s mobile app and check it daily to make sure that if there were to be any fraud, you could report it as quickly as possible.

For more tips and information like this, check out our Security Page. If you have questions, send us a Contact Us Form and one of our experts will be in touch. 

Thank you and Happy Holidays!