\u2018Tis the season for sitting behind a computer and letting your fingers do the walking to find presents for family and friends near and far. After all, it\u2019s much easier to click your way to the end of a shopping list than to run from store to store to find just the right gifts to put under the tree.<\/p>\n
While the Internet has made holiday shopping a breeze, it\u2019s also made stealing rather easy for tech-savvy criminals. With so many people rushing to take advantage of the latest cyber deals, security is often an afterthought.<\/p>\n
It shouldn\u2019t be.<\/p>\n
The Federal Trade Commission estimates identity theft cost Americans a whopping $1.52 billion in 2011 alone. While that number includes other forms of identity theft, the Internet is fast becoming a favorite target for those who would swipe personal information, including Social Security numbers, credit card and bank account numbers and more for their own personal gain. Once the bad guys have these numbers, they can use them to drain bank accounts, rack up credit card charges and even open accounts only they have access to. In some cases, numbers are sold to others, so tracking down the crooks becomes an even trickier proposition.<\/p>\n
So, what should consumers do? Should they forego those awesome online sales in favor of in-person, cash purchases? Not necessarily. There are steps people can take to safeguard themselves while they shop the day away online.<\/p>\n
Protecting Your Online Shopping Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n Here are a few things to keep in mind while shopping online this holiday season (or at any other time):<\/p>\n Going online is a great way to knock out a holiday shopping list in no time at all. Take a few moments, however, to consider safety or the bad guys might just have a very happy holiday season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u2018Tis the season for sitting behind a computer and letting your fingers do the walking to find presents for family and friends near and far. After all, it\u2019s much easier to click your way to the end of a shopping list than to run from store to store to find just the right gifts to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[318,317],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-internet","category-threats"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n