Adobe Analytics expects a whopping $143 billion in U.S. online sales this holidays. “Most of Americans do there shopping on the web over the holidays from convenience and also to obtain the best prices and use of endless levels of inventory,” says Ellsworth Buck, Vice President of Insurance, Florida's top independent homeowner insurance agency.
But, be aware, during your search online for the best holiday shopping deals, scammers will work to rob you of your money and personal information. Based on the FBI's Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3), there are many popular online scams to look out for this holiday. Scams in which a buyer will pay for services or goods, but the items are never received. A non-payment scam involves goods or services being shipped, however the seller is never paid. IC3 reports both of these scams caused almost $184 million in losses.
Additional scams include auction fraud, where a method is
misrepresented on an auction site. Also, gift certificate fraud, whenever a seller asks
you to definitely pay with a prepaid credit card.
You can protect your individual information online using the following
tips.
- Use charge cards while shopping online. A debit
card directly accesses your bank account. - As tempting because they are, don't click links
or attachments. - Use a secure Wi-Fi connection rather than the
free one from the cafe. - Change your passwords. Don't use the same password
for all your accounts and do not include private information inside your passwords.
Try checking out a password manager such as Zoho or Dashlane, to help keep tabs on passwords. They can also generate different passwords for you to use. “Using your anniversary or child's birthdate for any password can result in trouble,” says Ellsworth Buck, V . p . of Insurance, Florida's leading independent homeowner insurance agency.
To avoid being a victim to some scam, IC3 has recommendations below.
- Always get a tracking number for items purchased online.
- Avoid sellers who post under one name, then provide another name for payment.
- Be wary of sellers who post an auction or advertisement as if they live in the U.S., then respond to questions by stating they are out of the country on business, family emergency, or similar reasons.
- Be suspect of any credit card purchases where the address from the cardholder doesn't match the shipping address. Always receive the cardholder's authorization before shipping any products.
- Always be skeptical of deals that appear too best to be true.
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