6 Ways To Prevent Cyber-Shopping Scams This Holiday Season

Cyber-shopping is a gift and a curse. It’s really convenient and can save you money, but scammers are upping their game.

Fake shopping sites are going to be more prevalent than ever this year. Scamsters will be contacting shoppers directly through text, email and phone to fleece them. Thieves are also looking to steal your personal information to compound their swindles. They are even running tax-related scams this time of year.

“Identity thieves are looking for ways to play the Grinch and steal taxpayer information that can help them steal identities and file fraudulent tax returns,” says IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel.

What can you do to avoid getting whacked by fraud merchants? This is what Werfel recommends:

• Shop at sites where the web address begins with “https” – the “s” is for secure communications and look for the padlock icon in the browser window.
• Don’t shop on unsecured public Wi-Fi in places like a mall or restaurant.
• Keep security software for computers, tablets and mobile phones updated.
• Make sure anti-virus software for computers has a feature to stop malware, and that there is a firewall enabled that can prevent intrusions.
• Use strong and unique passwords for online accounts.
• Use multi-factor authentication whenever possible. It helps prevent thieves from easily hacking accounts.

Need some more safeguards? The Federal Trade Commission has some additional advice:

“They (scammers) often insist that you can only pay by using cryptocurrency, wiring money through a company like MoneyGram or Western Union
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, using a payment app, or putting money on a gift card and then giving them the numbers on the back of the card. Some will send you a check (that will later turn out to be fake), then tell you to deposit it and send them money.”

Bottom line: “If you get an email or text message from a company you do business with and you think it’s real, it’s still best not to click on any links. Instead, contact them using a website you know is trustworthy. Or look up their phone number. Don’t call a number they gave you or the number from your caller ID.”

“Most importantly, resist the pressure to act immediately. Honest businesses will give you time to make a decision. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer.”