This is one of the most popular shopping weekends of the year. The National Retail Federation reports 160 million shoppers in stores and a record 4.2 billion dollars spent online this Thanksgiving alone.
All that spending leaves a lot of room for people to step in and take advantage of your money.
Peyton Guy says, “If it seems like it’s a deal that’s too good to be true, it pretty much all the time is going to be.”
We went to H2L Solutions– a cyber-security company here in Huntsville– and spoke with Peyton Guy, a Junior Cyber-security Engineer. He tells us shopping online comes with some risks. He says, “Any site can be breached. You know, security is never 100%. If you save your information, that information can go somewhere else. And it’s very difficult to change your information once it’s already out there.”
Adobe Analytics predicts a record 7.8 billion dollars to be spent on online Black Friday sales, and during Cyber Monday, those numbers are expected to be even higher. All this activity is ideal for a hacker who’s looking to take your financial information.
Taking a few extra precautions is always a good idea. Peyton Guy adds, “Breaches are becoming more and more prevalent so you need to be careful who you give your information to.”
Downloading your credit card app and monitoring your charges could save you a lot of money in the long run, if your card is hacked. Be sure to contact your bank or credit company immediately if you see any suspicious activity.
Cyber-security Engineer, Jessica Tubbs says, the most important thing to remember is to watch how you spend your money. If you buy with a credit card you’ll only be liable for up to 50$ if your card is stolen and fraudulent charges are made.
Jessica Tubbs tells us, “It’s always best to go with a credit card over a debit card, although there are more secure payment methods out there.” Like PayPal, GooglePay and more. And when it comes to your money– always be mindful of where you spend it. Shop on credible sights and make sure you look for the padlock icon by the url to confirm they’re secure.
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