Grain Valley News
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Voter Resources
    • Online Puzzles
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • Kindness Awards
    • 2023 Garage Sale Directory
    • Parade
  • Job Board
  • Best of Grain Valley
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Business Directory Submission Form
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Voter Resources
    • Online Puzzles
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • Kindness Awards
    • 2023 Garage Sale Directory
    • Parade
  • Job Board
  • Best of Grain Valley
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Business Directory Submission Form








​news

Stay safe from Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday scams

11/11/2021

 
Picture
by Burton Kelso, The Technology Expert
​     It seems every year people spend more and more money during Black Friday and Cyber Monday for holiday gifts and donate to charities on Giving Tuesday. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing rules, many of you will be doing your purchases online. Unfortunately, cybercriminals know this and will do their best to get access to your credit card swipes, your identity, and online transactions.
     With the large amount of cybercrime and data breaches that have taken place this year, it’s more important than ever to make sure you are being vigilant and taking steps to protect yourself. Here are a few tips to keep you safe as you donate to your favorite charities and buy gifts for your friends and loved ones:

How to Protect Yourself on Black Friday. 
     A lot of the breaches that occur on Black Friday occur when you're shopping at brick and mortar stores from point-of-sale (PoS) systems. These breaches can occur when a criminal gets access to the PoS system by installing malware designed to collect your information.  Hackers can also install malware in online shopping carts that send your banking information directly to them. This can be avoided if you use secured payment methods such as using cash when you're making in-store purchases.  If you're like me and hate carrying around cash, or you prefer shopping online for Black Friday, regular and pre-paid credit cards are always the best option.  Credit card companies offer better protection against fraud.  Most banks do so as well, but if your debit card is compromised, it will take longer to get access to those stolen funds.

How to Protect Yourself on Cyber Monday. 
     When shopping online and searching the web for the hottest deals, your biggest threats are breached electronic shopping carts and compromised websites from online merchants. Make sure the websites you're visiting are secure with a URL that begins with "https" rather than "http. The added "s" means that the website is secure from breaches and your transactions will be safe from cybercriminals. Most browsers also include a padlock icon in front of the web address to show the site has a trusted security certificate.
     Also, your web browser will notify you if it appears that a website is not secure or dangerous. If you get this message, do not proceed. If you get messages about the latest deals from a retailer via email and text, go directly to the merchant's web site to verify that the deal is real and not a scam. To keep your personal information safe, set up an anonymous email account only to be used for shopping online. If you get emails or texts that claim there is a problem with your package, visit the merchant's website or call them to verify if there is an issue.

How to Protect Yourself on Giving Tuesday.
     Cybercriminals are aware that many charities collect payments online. With so many different organizations asking for money, it's hard to know which are legitimate and which ones are fake.  You need to be wary of crowdfunded websites such as GoFundMe as many of the people who ask for donations from these sites are looking to scam people. Before donating to a charitable cause, check out Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org) which will help you get information on over 8,000 charities. In most instances, it's best to donate directly from the charity's web site rather than relying on emails, phone calls, and text messages that are sent to you.

Some other tips to remember:

1. Go to the source. 99% of cybercrime requires user interaction. Avoid clicking on links in email, social media, and texts.  Some links will take Don’t click on ads on social media or even in texts or emails.
2. Use strong passwords. Passwords are the strongest thing for keeping your online accounts safe.  Consider using passphrases for all of your online accounts. Passphrases like "stinkychicken437!" or "PurpleStrongOtter#*!" are easier for you to remember.  Also, don't use the same passwords for all your online accounts. Password managers like LastPass and the ones in your favorite browser can help you remember all of those different passwords.

3. Use retailer and charity apps. If your favorite online retailer or charity has an app, download it and use it to ensure all of your transactions are safe and secure.  

     I'm not trying to be a Grinch when it comes to your holiday shopping plans. I just want to make sure all of you enjoy this season of light and remind you to be vigilant and aware of the assortment of ways criminals will try to take advantage of your trust and kindness.

     Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@callintegralnow.com. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I'm serious about making technology fun and easy to use for everyone.

     Need computer or technology help? If you need on-site or remote tech support for your Windows\Macintosh, computers, laptops, Android/Apple smartphone, tablets, printers, routers, smart home devices, and anything that connects to the Internet, please feel free to contact my team at Integral. Our team of friendly tech experts organization can help you with any IT needs you might have.  Reach out to us a www.callintegralnow.com or phone at 888.256.0829.
 
Picture

Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Burton Kelso
    Business
    Cathy Allie
    Celebrations & Transitions
    Census
    City Of Grain Valley
    Columnists
    Community Profile
    Covid19
    Covid-19
    Economic-development
    Education
    Elections
    Financial-health
    Fitness
    Food Inspections
    Good News
    Good-news
    Grain-valley-assistance-council
    Grain Valley Fair
    Grain Valley Historical Society
    Grain-valley-partnership
    Grain Valley Schools
    Health And Fitness
    Health-and-fitness
    Home And Garden
    Jackson County
    Kindness Awards
    Ld
    Letters
    Local News
    Looking Back
    Lorne-meinershagen
    Missouri House Of Representatives
    Missouri Senate
    Musings From The Middle
    Neighborhood View
    On-the-job
    Pets
    Police Blotter
    Quick-news
    Rdn
    Recreation
    Sally-whitaker
    Seniors
    Senior-send-off
    Sports
    State Of Missouri
    Technology
    Tracey-shaffer
    Transportation
    University Of Missouri Extension
    Waynes-world

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018

Grain Valley News

Grain Valley News is a free community news source published weekly online. 
(c) 2023 Grain Valley News

Contact Us

PO Box 2972
​Grain Valley MO 64029

Privacy Policy
Picture