Donate Online Safely with Tips from LifeLock

• Tweet
• Sharebar

• Tweet

Now that Halloween is behind us, it’s unofficially the holiday season! I always start playing Christmas music on November 1st & pretty much don’t stop until New Year’s. I also like to use this time to give back to those in need and I donate frequently this time of year.

There are so many worthy causes & so many ways to give back, and one of the easiest ways to do so is by donating online. But as the saying goes, “no good deed goes unpunished” and sometimes, donators find themselves the victims of identity the. Lifelock has some great tips for how to stay safe while donating online:

1. If you receive an email that urges you to donate for a good cause, be cautious that you don’t download a virus from an attachment, that the link doesn’t send you to a “clone” site, and that the email isn’t a “Phishing” scheme. If you aren’t positive that you are clear of all of these warning signs, it may be best to just ignore the email all together. {A clone site is a site that mimics a real site in order to get your personal and financial information while you think you are donating.}

2. The safest way to respond to a suspicious email from a charity requesting personal information is to immediately delete it. If the email appears to be sent by a real charity, call the publicly available phone number to donate or speak directly to the charity.

3. Be sure that the website you’re using to donate is secure. The link should begin with “https” rather than the standard “http”. That “s” stands for secure and shows that the website has a lowered risk of a security breach.

4. A thief can steal from you by charging small increments month to month, opening new accounts in your name or requesting you “donate” small sums. These small sums add up over time to big gains for thieves.

5. Just because a charity requests your full address, that alone doesn’t make them a threat. Your address is often required for tax purposes & should not pose as a red flag.

A rule that I live by is that if something feels off, it probably is. No matter how much I love the charity, I won’t donate online if something seems strange- I’ll find another way to do it, whether that be over the phone or in person. Don’t be afraid to give, especially during the Holiday season- just make sure that you’re protecting yourself!

Be sure to check out the LifeLock for Life Sweepstakes Game on Facebook- you can play every week & win great prizes!

Note: I am a LifeLock Brand Ambassador & was compensated for my work on this campaign. All opinions are my own.