Cyber Monday Shopping Safety Tips

Note: This post is part of an ambassadorship with Hotspot Shield. All opinions are my own.

The big weekend is finally here! From now until Monday, there’s a good chance your wallet will be getting quite the workout. Whether you’re picking up last minute Thanksgiving dinner ingredients, heading to the mall for Black Friday or, like me, sitting at your computer on Cyber Monday, there’s a whole lot of spending going on!

‘Tis the season, and there’s nothing wrong with spending when it allows you to give gifts that make people happy. But there are some important things to keep in mind while loading up your sleigh full of gifts in order to keep yourself safe from identity theft!

-Make sure that you are on the real website for the vendor you’re using. When possible, avoid doing a Google search for a company’s website & instead go directly to their site in order to avoid clicking on links that appear to be the company’s but are actually fake sites.

-Be sure that when you are in the checkout process, your browser indicates that you have a secure connection {the URL will begin with https rather than the standard http}.

-When possible, use a credit card rather than debit card. Credit cards come with several fraud protection services, allowing you to dispute fraudulent charges and withhold payments in the event of a dispute.

-Some websites allow you to checkout using any money you may have on Paypal, which can save you from having to provide bank account information.

-Be sure that your virus protection software is up-to-date ahead of time so that you don’t find yourself trying to delete a virus or back out of a malicious URL.

-If you’re curled up at a café doing your shopping {or anywhere away from home}, be sure to use a VPN service like Hotspot Shield. Since you’ll be on a shared Wi-Fi network, it’s easier than usual for a potential identity thief to get your personal information. With a VPN network, you can shop in public without worry {just don’t leave your debit card out in plain sight}.

As long as you take a few easy {but important} steps to protect yourself, you’ll be able to shop without worry & start crossing off that shopping list!

What do you have your eye on this holiday weekend?