During the holiday season and through tax season, many of us are shopping online and using our debit and credit cards more than usual. This can make it difficult to track purchases and identify transactions that aren’t your own. Fortunately, there are a few key ways you can protect yourself and make sure you’re not shopping from a questionable website that’s supported by an unreliable server.
1. Keep Receipts and Compare Transactions
While this may seem like a tall order since you’ll likely do a considerable amount of shopping, it’s something you need to do. Keep each receipt that you’re given, no matter how small the transaction was. This is going to be a valuable reference point for you if you come across any issues since you can simply have a look at your receipts and confirm if anything’s out of place.
If you can’t get a receipt for a transaction for one reason or another, you may need to write it down physically in a notebook. As a safety precaution, make it a habit to go over your transactions at the end of each day or a few days. Compare this with your bank statement so that you can spot any inconsistencies and alert your bank about them right away.
2. Use Antivirus Software and Keep It Updated
The second thing that you need to do is to install good antivirus software on all your devices. Many of these software offer the opportunity to connect multiple devices under the same plan, so look for one that can cover all the sensitive devices that you and your family use. The antivirus you get should be one with a good reputation so that you’re fully secured against most or all modern threats.
In the modern enterprise, security storage and data transmission is of vital importance in the modern enterprise. This is why you need to take steps to make sure that your data is safe at all times. When you have the right antivirus software, keep it updated so it can keep functioning at its best. You could go into the software and allow it to update automatically so that it doesn’t need you to take any action in order to keep it functioning optimally.
3. Only Shop Using Reliable Websites
Last but not least, only shop from reliable websites that are legitimate and secure. The first way for you to find out whether a website is secure or not is to have a look at the address bar. There should be an icon of a small locked padlock at the beginning of the address to show you that the website is safe to access. If the padlock is unlocked or highlighted in red, then you should steer clear of this website since this is a potential security issue.
Take the additional steps of confirming the legitimacy of the website by looking at the reviews left by other shoppers below it. These should be mostly positive, and the negative ones shouldn’t mention issues with insecurity and such. If you can confirm this, then you may have found a safe website to shop on. Note that some websites use false reviews to dupe potential customers and make it seem like they’re legitimate while they aren’t. In this case, use your discretion because it should be easy to tell genuine reviews from false ones. Best of all, shop from websites that have been in existence for long enough to have proved themselves.
These three cybersecurity tips should help you stay safe this holiday season and avoid the risks that come with using an insecure website. Make these habits a part of your daily life as they can protect you all the time and not just during the holidays.
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