How to Protect Yourself Against Cyber Monday Online Scams

Tips to Help Protect you Online this Cyber Monday

1. Use passwords that are difficult to hack or guess. When creating a password, use a combination of letters (upper and lower cases), numbers, special characters (!,@,#,$,%*,&,?) and ensure that it is at least 8 characters long.
2. Do not click on links in e-mail messages, on social networking websites or anywhere else that go to the login pages of your bank, PayPal account, e-mail accounts or anything else that requires a login. Please type the website address or URL in your browser and go directly to the main website and from there, you can navigate to the login or sign-in page.
3. Ensure that you have anti-virus software on your computer before you start shopping online. There are a lot of free and paid anti-virus software that you can install on your computer to protect it when browsing online. Click here to view the top 5 free antivirus software. Anti-virus software cannot totally protect you online so, do not recklessly browse online because you have an anti-virus software installed; you should still use common sense.
4. If you receive any notification that your computer is infected and that you need to purchase anti-virus software to remove the infection, please ignore. There are fake anti-virus software that will infect your computer with malware.
5. Purchase goods online from popular websites. These are websites that have been around a long time.
6. When you are on a shopping cart check-out page, ensure that the URL or domain name address in the browser's address bar starts with "https://". The "https://" means that the information transmitted between your computer and the website is secured. If there is "https://" in the browser's address bar, but the browser reports that there is a problem with the security certificate (SSL) or it has expired, do not enter your credit card or personal information on the website.
7. If you are given an offer that is too good to be true, ask friends, family members and people online (online forums) for information to help verify the authenticity of the offer. Scammers will setup thousands of fake advertisements offering goods at very ridiculous prices online this holiday season, help lure their victims into a trap.
8. There are a lot of fake charity websites setup by scammers. Be careful when donating your hard-worked money. For a list of legitimate charities online, click here.
9. Do not give your user name and password to someone who request it via email or telephone. Then again, never share your password with anyone.
10. Do not allow a stranger to use your computer without monitoring him/her. Unscrupulous people will attempt to infect their computer with a Trojan horse that can be used to steal your information and money.
11. Do not shop online using an unsecure Wi-Fi connection at places like a coffee shop, hotel or other Wi-Fi hotspots
12. Do not allow an unknown person to access your computer remotely via a remote desktop software
13. Do not download pirated or cracked software online. These software are usually embedded with malware like spyware, Trojan horse or Key logger.
14. Do not click on pop-up advertisements that promise you get-rich offers or ask you to install some form of software in order to view a video or do something else.
15. Use your credit card or PayPal account instead of your Debit card to shop online. Your credit card and PayPal account have a lot more security protection that your Debit card.