There is a certain amount of accepted risk associated with shopping, especially during the holiday season.\u00a0 Identify theft and fraud have become an accepted risk for many online and retail shoppers.\u00a0 This year is thought to see an even greater level of attacks aimed toward the consumer market, ranging from malicious sites exploiting your data for ransom, to capturing credit card information.\u00a0 The hacker\u2019s approach is to seek the easy targets and low-hanging fruit.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why we decided to offer a few tips to help you keep your finances, devices, and personal information safe during the holiday season.<\/p>\n
Public Wi-Fi:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Free Public Wi-Fi is an easy and convenient way for criminals to create malicious access points, or even hijack public access points that are poorly setup.\u00a0 In fact, it\u2019s so easy a 10 year old could do it.<\/a><\/p>\n While saving your mobile data, and avoiding overage charges can be stressful, avoid using these hotspots, unless necessary.\u00a0 If you do, try to add a level of security by using a secure VPN connection, even try the free Opera Browser<\/a> with an integrated VPN feature we discussed here<\/a>.<\/p>\n If neither of these are options, try to avoid conducting banking or any payment transactions while using public Wi-Fi until you are on a secure network.<\/p>\n Support Scams:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Support scams and fraud occur year-round.\u00a0 Normally they peak around the holiday season when they attempt to exploit consumers for support or software that they do not need.<\/p>\n There are examples of where callers impersonate Microsoft representatives or even official government entities such as the IRS.\u00a0 We took an in-depth look at support fraud<\/a> and the best practices to avoid network infiltration here<\/a>, without burying the lead, the best thing to keep in mind is that Microsoft, nor your bank, will call to address security concerns or support issues.\u00a0 In those rare occasions where your banking institution does call about a security concern, they do not ask for your credit card details, login credentials, or personal information.<\/p>\n When in doubt, hang up, and call the number on the back of your credit card, or a verified support number from the software company the caller claimed to be representing.<\/p>\n Credit Card Skimmers:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0One of the easiest methods to acquiring massive amounts of shopper credit card information revolves around skimmers.\u00a0 Small devices that are installed around a legitimate retailer\u2019s card processing machine, that then in turn captures your card information.<\/p>\n