Protect your privacy and financial information with these online shopping tips and the Avast Secure Browser
The holiday shopping season really gets under way when Black Friday deals begin – which now happens earlier and earlier during the week of Thanksgiving. The deals typically extend through Cyber Monday, which this year is Dec. 1. Look out, holiday shoppers. A rambunctious stretch lies ahead.
Instead of rushing to the malls, shoppers today rush to their screens, jumping into the online shopping frenzy. The only buzzkill to this holly-jolly good time is that bad actors of all types — from greedy advertisers to flat-out cybercriminals — anticipate this spike in online activity and hatch their own phishing scams and deceptive schemes to direct the digital cash flow their way. Treacherous imposters are everywhere you turn, from fake mobile apps and phony websites posing as real businesses to malicious emails pretending to be your package’s shipping info or a holiday card from a friend.
But you can avoid all the havoc and hassle with these tips for a safer, saner online shopping experience.
TIP 1: Always go ‘official’
This is the most obvious tip, in light of all the fakes that abound. For apps: Only download apps from official app stores. And, for websites: Always type the URL yourself in the address bar so you know you are on the official page. You’ll also notice that most, if not all, official sites use https to ensure an encrypted connection between you and them.
TIP 2: Avoid phishing scams
Look at every holiday-themed and savings-themed email in your inbox with a suspicious eye, and never cl ..
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