Steve Jurczak has recently written an article for Carbonite about the Holiday season and what to watch out for.  The commentary states that more and more of us are doing our shopping online, especially this year due to the COVID 19 virus.  Now, with online shopping becoming the norm, it’s up to us to be extra diligent about practicing safe cybersecurity habits. That means being careful to avoid sharing more information than we should and using strong passwords on our favorite holiday shopping sites. It also means applying a heightened level of scrutiny when making charity donations. He goes into more detail in his column about the following subjects which can be read at the link shown below.

The holidays can be a stressful time of year. One thing that will definitely add to your stress levels is falling for a holiday shopping scam online. Here are a few final tips from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to help you practice safe gift-giving without giving away too much this holiday season:

• Always get a tracking number so you can verify items shipped and follow the delivery.

• Beware of sellers who seem as if they reside in the U.S. but respond from out of the country for business, family emergency or similar reasons.

• Avoid sellers who post under one name but request payment be sent to someone else.

• Avoid sellers posing as authorized dealers of popular items in countries where there would be no such dealers.

• Check the feedback ratings and peer reviews of any buyer or seller before a transaction.

• Avoid buyers who make odd requests to avoid customs or taxes inside another country.

• Be suspicious of deals that seem too good to be true.

Enjoy the read and tune up your personal on line habits.  Stay healthy and Safe.

Source: Are you giving too much (data) during the holidays? | Carbonite