Tips For Safe Cyber Shopping This Holiday Season

Be on the lookout for fraud while doing your online holiday shopping, warns officials.

Cyber-crooks try to trick unknowing victims into giving them access to their computer so they can steal personal information and money. Cyber-crooks often send fraudulent e-mails that appear to be coming from a legitimate source in the hopes victims will open them and inadvertently download malicious programs.  Here are some tips to avoid becoming a victim:

• -Keep your computer security features turned on and up-to-date to prevent malicious software from sneaking in without you even knowing its there (this software will collect personal and private information such as passwords and account numbers) 
• -Be very aware and suspicious when you receive notices that appear on your computer out of the blue for unexpected things like package shipping or credit card confirmations 
• -Exercise heightened caution when you see these strange e-mails  
• -Resist the temptation to open e-mails or links you are not expecting
• -When shopping on-line make sure to do business with reputable companies using encrypted websites for purchases and remember a credit card is often the safest way to make a purchase.  Look for the symbol of a closed padlock and that the letters "https" are in the address bar of the business website. 
• -Keep a record of your on line purchases and copies of confirmation pages in case you need to make a return. 
• -Be aware that most free public Wi-Fi networks at places like airports and coffee shops are not secure and your personal information could be intercepted by cyber-crooks.